Earlier this year, WMATA — the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority that serves D.C., Maryland, and Virginia — told its bus operators to start "politely reminding" riders about the $2.25 fare. The drivers' union pushed back immediately, citing past incidents where quoting the fare got drivers punched in the face.
That's where we are. The fare is $2.25 and mentioning it out loud is a safety hazard.
The numbers behind the request explain the panic. Sixty-four percent of D.C. bus riders do not pay. Not "take advantage of a discount program." Not "use a subsidized pass." They board the bus, sit down, and ride for free. Nearly two out of every three passengers. The remaining 36% — the ones still swiping a card like civilized adults — are the only revenue stream WMATA has on its bus lines.
So WMATA did what any government agency drowning in self-inflicted losses would do. They proposed a fare hike. Originally 11%, now expected to land even higher. They're also floating service cuts and asking local governments for additional funding to cover the gap.
As Not the Bee's Jesse James put it: "So the honest, fare-paying minority may soon pay more to ride fewer trains and buses."
That's the math. Sixty-four percent ride free. The agency loses money. The solution is to charge more to the 36% who already pay, run fewer buses for everyone, and then ask taxpayers to cover whatever's left. The people causing the shortfall pay nothing. The people not causing it pay more.
The objection writes itself — enforcement is hard, fare gates are expensive, you can't criminalize poverty. Except WMATA isn't even attempting enforcement. They tried asking nicely. Their own drivers said asking nicely gets you assaulted. So they stopped asking. The "enforcement is hard" argument works a lot better when someone has actually attempted enforcement.
This is the governing philosophy of Washington, D.C., distilled to a single transit policy. You have a system where the majority has figured out that compliance is optional. The minority still playing by the rules gets handed the bill. And the agency's reform plan is to make compliance more expensive while leaving non-compliance completely free.
Every incentive runs in the wrong direction. Pay the fare, and your reward is a higher fare and fewer buses. Skip the fare, and nothing changes — except the ride might get a little less crowded once the paying customers give up.
WMATA's bus operators were told to politely remind riders about a $2.25 fare. The riders' answer was a fist. The agency's answer was a price hike.
The 36% are still swiping.