We’ve updated our fare capping proposal to keep fares at current prices and continue free transfers

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We’ve finalized our proposal to make paying fares easier and to ensure that no one overpays for riding Metro buses and trains. Based on customer feedback, the staff recommendation is to keep base fares at their current prices and continue free one-way transfers between Metro buses and trains for two hours, among other changes. 

Quick background: in October, Metro released a fare capping proposal that would change our fares to make them more simple and affordable for our most frequent riders. We then held a public hearing on Monday, November 14, to gather feedback from our customers.  

We take the public comment process seriously and have modified the fare restructuring as part of the formal recommendation. The Metro Board of Directors will consider the staff recommendation at their meeting on Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. You can listen/watch the meeting online here. You can comment at the meeting — the instructions are on page 4 of the agenda.

Other key info you should know about the staff recommendation:

•The modified approach still introduces daily and weekly fare capping in which no one will pay more than $5 a day or $18 a week for unlimited rides. That’s lower than the $6 a day and $20 a week in the original proposal.

•With fare capping, riders would no longer have to purchase daily, weekly or 30-day Metro passes in advance. You pay as you go with Stored Value on TAP cards — and when you reach the fare cap then you pay no more. 

•The staff recommendation keeps the base fare the same for senior and disabled riders and the off-peak fare is being eliminated so you can ride any time for the same price. Also, the base fare is lower for student and college/vocational riders.

•Our LIFE riders will receive 20 free rides per month (with free transfers within two hours) under the staff recommendation and then pay per ride until they reach the daily or weekly cap. LIFE riders will only pay for rides they take.

•The staff recommendation is to eliminate charging extra fare for the J (Silver) Line and express buses. Fares for the J Line and express buses would be the same as for all Metro buses and trains. 

•The staff recommendation also includes extending the 50 percent discounts to our regular daily, 7-day and 30-day passes until fare capping is implemented — which would happen next summer if the Board approves the proposal.

•A friendly reminder: to take advantage of fare capping you need to pay fares with a TAP card. We encourage all our cash paying riders to get a TAP card — the savings for many of you will be significant.

The chart shows our current fares in the left column, the original fare proposal in the center column and the revised proposal in the right column.

 

We know that any proposal to change fares can be tough on riders — many of whom rely deeply on Metro to get around. We think these changes will make riding Metro more affordable and easier in the long-term and will also help sustain our services.  

We’re very grateful to those of you who took the time to review our proposal and comment on it. If you would like more information on the proposal and the changes that have been made, please see our staff report. 

 

Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects

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22 replies ›

  1. It looks like one small part of the chart is wrong – regarding current LIFE incentives. Under the September 2021 Holly Mitchell motion, LIFE enrollees receive a 3-month free pass. The chart states that they currently receive 20 rides free.

    • Hi Joe,

      Correct, new LIFE enrollees get the 90 days of free rides. The chart is just referring to benefits once in the program — the option of receiving 20-Free trips (w/transfers) OR discount off monthly or Weekly pass.

      The recommendation is to: Provide LIFE participants the 20-Free trips (w/transfers) AND after trips are exhausted they will participate in fare capping.

      The free 90-day passes to new enrollees would continue.

      Hope that answers your question.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  2. Metro is eliminating senior/off peak travel of 35c so people can ride for one fare that is peak price at 75c. This is actually a fare increase.. If you go on the train before 3pm it helps to pay less.. Now one must pay more for the same time frame.. I assume the same will apply for buses.

  3. Yes, but I think Martin’s concern is actually addressed by Metro’s revised proposal, which allows the 7-day fare capping clock to start on any day of the week. So even under the scenario he mentions, where you arrive in LA on a Wednesday for a week, “pay as you go” wouldn’t result in paying more than the 7-day cap. Right?

    Note that this a significant improvement over, for instance, the system in NYC where weekly fare capping follows a fixed Monday-Sunday calendar week.

    I concur with those who say that Metro has done a fantastic job in modifying the fare proposal based on public feedback.

  4. Hello I am a long time Metro bus Rider and rail rider is proposal and your Metro staff is proposing to get the board of directors to move on it’s kind of confusing I was looking at it I don’t understand how it’s going to work I hope you guys would just keep the fears like it is like it is now changing it’s going to make it more confusing for everybody in LA county I believe it’s not going to work it’s just going to make it make things more difficult for people who are trying to dependent and not going to understand this proposal man why is there no no publications no notices posted on the buses or trains I know that you guys are doing this via soon isn’t it just supposed to be open to the public that they’re at the Metro headquarters building like you always have done in the pastor you guys always have open the board room to the public at the public come in in common on this I don’t think this is fair with you guys are doing you’re going behind closed doors andchanges without giving the public a chance to come in person and speak on this

  5. Will you still be able to buy a 7 day pass? If, for example, you arrived in LA on a Wednesday for a week, it would be cheaper to pay for a 7 day pass upfront, than to use a pass which runs out on the following Sunday and then have to pay for day passes for the following week.

    • Hi Martin —

      After fare capping is implemented (if it’s approved) the passes would go away. The only option would be pay as you go.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  7. How about the transfer to Municipal Bus Line? Is that still going to be available?

    • Hi Joan;

      I’ll get the answer next week when staff is back in the office.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

    • Hi Joan —

      The revised fare proposal will keep all Metro transfers as they currently are and will not affect how regional transfers work now.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  8. Good. Big Blue Bus just implemented the 2-hour transfers earlier this year. It’s been fairly successful at increasing ridership, from what I’ve seen, and my guess is that Metro has been doing it so long that they’d forgotten when they proposed to get rid of it. Keeping transit affordable, as well as getting more people out of cars, should be your primary objectives.

  9. Are you extending the half off till you can get fare capping going? You say it won’t be in place soon ” If approved, fare capping would start mid-2023.” This is news!

    Eliminated passes and no capping are still threatened for half a year or not?

    • Hi Bel —

      Yes, that’s the plan — to extend discounted passes until fare capping begins.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  10. Wow. Kudos to Metro. Thank you for listening to your riders!! Keeping the free transfers is huge.

  11. Suggestion:
    Please clarify that the EZ Pass is not affected by this proposal.

    Question:
    Let’s say someone rides Foothill Transit bus 187, using TAP card to pay full fare, then transfer to a connecting Metro bus 179. For this scenario, under the current fare structure, that Metro 179 bus ride will be $0.50 deducted from the TAP card. How much will that be under the proposed fare capping? The proposal does not mention this kind of transfer scenario.

    Thank you!

    • Hi Actual Rider;

      Good question — I’ll try to get answer to you next week after holiday weekend.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

      • I’m glad that transfers are being kept as they are with stored value, though I do think raising the base fare to 2 dollars would have been appropriate since Metro needs the revenue. 1.75 is one of the cheapest transit fares in the US as it is. In any case, it’s good to see that there won’t be any additional complications with the whole “re-TAP” situation when tranfering vehicles within a shared station like at 7th / metro or Wilshire / Vermont. I still wonder, though, if a person can still be fined if their tap card is checked by an officer and said rider forgot to “validate” their transfer at a TAP station?

  12. The original plan was pretty good (from my perspective, but the elimination of the 2 hour transfer window was not good – LA transit is not built to take you where you want to go directly) but this plan is MUCH better for everyone. Fare capping is the way. Glad to see Metro take feedback and move forward with the fare capping proposal