Rail users confused by 44,376 combinations Metro has gotten the message from its riders: The current fare system — with 44,376 combinations on the rail system alone — is confusing.
So the transit agency is considering a revamp of how riders pay for their trips, including the possibility of adding unlimited monthly passes, scrapping the 20-cent “peak of the peak” rail surcharge or charging a flat rate of about $2.70.
Nothing has been finalized, but it’s a good time for Metro to consider revising its fare structure as it seeks a new payment system that allows direct credit or bank card payments. The agency said in a new report that it hopes to recommend a new fare framework by January.
The push comes a year after the agency made the biggest, most complicated fare increases yet, with new peak charges on top of the old peak fares, special surcharges for paper fare cards and complicated new rates for riders with disabilities using MetroAccess. Riders are still trying to understand how much they are expected to pay depending on what time of day they travel, how far they go and how they pay.
In October, the agency solicited rider feedback and heard back that the fares are “complex, not easy to determine and difficult to explain to others,” the report said.
“It’s like doing your taxes,” said Michael Perkins, a regular rider whose has been pushing Metro to adopt an unlimited monthly pass similar to one used in the Seattle area. Metro has included his plan among its options.
Metro’s complicated fare system is also complicated for Metro to administer. Last year, the agency had to delay multiple parts of the fare increases because it was so difficult to program the fare system software. “There is a cost of having 44,000 fare combinations,” said spokesman Dan Stessel.
Many transit agencies have a simple flat-fare structure in which a trip costs the same no matter how far the rider travels. But Metro has had a distance-based system, then more layers. It’s a balancing act for the agency between having a simple system and having a fair fare that charges riders more for the longest trips.
Metro is considering one option of having fares based on five concentric zones, with a $2 charge for the first zone during peak hours, then 75 cents extra when riders pass through each additional zone. Perkins, with fellow blogger Matt Johnson, helped developed the idea.
The agency also is considering giving reverse commuters a discount to encourage people to ride on the emptier trains, creating a fixed rate per station or charging more for express bus service on its priority corridors, among other ideas.
