Waiting on Metrobus by Mike Maguire licensed under Creative Commons.

For many low-income residents in DC, the cost of transportation is a hurdle that makes it difficult to get to jobs, appointments, and other destinations. A new pilot program will provide some residents in DC with low fare or free unlimited access to Metro bus and rail for six to nine months.

This week, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a pilot research project, which will study income-based transit subsidies. The study is a collaboration between the mayor’s office, The Lab @ DC, the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT).

“Through innovative investments and initiatives, we can make our public transportation system more equitable and affordable for our residents,” said Bowser in a press release. “A strong, sustainable, and reliable public transit system keeps our city growing and thriving. This study will guide best practices on how we can effectively use transit subsidies to give more Washingtonians a fair shot.”

Right now, low-income riders comprise 48% of bus ridership in the District, compared with 18% of rail ridership, according to a 2014 WMATA survey. Access to work-related subsidies is diminished for many low-income riders as well.

Recently WMATA proposed a 25-cent fare surcharge for riders who use cash. We wrote about how that charge could negatively impact low-income riders.

How does the pilot program work?

Up to 2,500 eligible adult participants who currently receive public assistance will be selected to receive one of three fare options: no discount on transit, a partially discounted fare, or free unlimited trips, for up to nine months. The goal is to see how mobility is impacted if the financial barriers to transit are lowered, according to the site.

The pilot is a nearly $1 million investment from multiple funding sources including The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). It will go for approval before the WMATA board at its Thursday, December 12 meeting. Metro General Manager and CEO of WMATA Paul Wiedefeld already expressed support for the pilot.

“A reduced fare product for low-income District residents would make transit more accessible and complement Metro’s existing discounts for students, seniors, and people with disabilities,” Wiedefeld said in a press release. “From the earliest stages, Metro has supported The Lab @ DC’s grant application to get this program off the ground and, pending Board approval, we stand ready to help expand access to more members of our community.”

Reactions from local service providers has been swift and positive as well.

“The cost of transportation in Washington, DC, is an enormous burden to our clients and to people with lower incomes across the city. At House of Ruth, we are strongly supportive of Mayor Bowser’s pilot,” said Sandra Jackson, executive director of House of Ruth, a nonprofit that offers an array of services, including housing for families and single women in crisis.

“I was very pleased to see it,” said Nechama Masliansky, Senior Advocacy Advisor for So Others Might Eat (SOME), a nonprofit that offers a variety of services including job training, affordable housing, counseling, and addiction treatment. “Programs to help subsidize transportation for extremely low-income people is very much needed.”

What’s next?

If approved, the program would start in the summer of 2020 and results will be analyzed in late 2021, according to the Lab @ DC site. Researchers will examine whether the cost of transit is a key barrier to low-income residents, and if this subsidy program is useful. Depending on their findings, the program might be expanded.