The Fare Issue: Affordability

A few days ago I posted about the pros and cons of fare-free transit. Since there are two primary issues with the collection of fares, I’d like to deal with each one separately. Today, I will discuss the issue of affordability for people with low incomes.

For the majority of people with high or moderate incomes, transit fares are not a burden and are usually more economical than owning and driving a car. However, there is definitely such a thing as being too poor to afford bus fare. I’ve been in that position myself in the distant past, so I understand this issue.

One way to make transit more affordable for people with low incomes is to have special free or reduced fare programs targeted at them. One crude attempt at this is nearly universal in the United States by Federal regulation. That is, transit systems that receive certain Federal funds much offer at least a 50% discount to senior citizens and people with disabilities at non-rush hours from the full adult rush hour fare. Canada has no such regulation, but most Canadian transit systems do offer a discount to senior citizens, though usually not to people with disabilities. The problem with these programs is that age and/or disability status don’t always track with income.

Then, there are more targeted programs in some cities. For example, in the Twin Cities, where I post from, we have the Transit Assistance Program, which enables qualifying people to obtain a special Go-To Card for one year, entitling them to ride for $1.00. The main problem with this program is that there is no monthly pass option. Many poor people ride transit everywhere and thus really need a monthly pass. Such a pass also serves as “transit insurance”, as a way of making sure a person always has the ability to go somewhere if need be.

King County Metro Transit in Seattle, WA provides bus tickets to social service agencies at 10% of face value to enable their clients to access programs. One of the biggest users is the SHARE homeless shelter network, which provides two tickets each night to its clients, one to get to downtown Seattle in the morning, and one to get back to the shelter that night.

Pierce Transit in Tacoma, WA used to be free on Thanksgiving and Christmas specifically so poor people had guaranteed access to free meals served on those days. The Duluth Transit Authority did the same thing on Thanksgiving (they didn’t run at all on Christmas). I am not sure if either system does something similar now but it is a good idea.

Calgary Transit has a Low Income Monthly Pass with three reduced fare levels: 5%, 35%, and 50% of the regular pass price, depending on exactly how low your income is. Calgary also has a Low Income Seniors Yearly Pass at 20% of the regular senior yearly pass price. To me, this is the “gold standard” of a reduced fare program: a monthly or annual pass that serves as “transit insurance” for the person needing it.

The point of this post is that there are ways to make transit affordable to those who need it without abandoning the concept of charging fares altogether.