The TriMet Board voted for a fare increase, while 100 cities worldwide charge nothing to ride public transit. The benefits can be huge in terms of economic, racial and gender equity, climate action and air quality. Ending fare enforcement stops making criminals of people who can’t afford bus fare, shrinking the school-to-prison pipeline. Transportation is a basic human need, along with housing, education and health care.
The Corvallis Transit System has been free for all riders since 2011. Public transportation in Kansas City, Albuquerque and Olympia are just three more of the U.S. cities with free transit. Public transportation is free in the entire country of Luxembourg, which has a population almost exactly the same as the city of Portland.
Most cities with zero fares have seen increased ridership and more access to transit for communities with lower incomes. When Kansas City surveyed riders last year, they found that more than 80% of riders were able to shop for food more often, could see their health care providers more easily or more often, were able to get or keep a job and felt more like city leadership is concerned about their needs.
TriMet could easily go fare-free, raise wages and increase service. It could speed up the shift to electric buses, retiring older buses that burn fossil fuels and pollute our air. It's also important to increase service frequency and convenience to help lure more people out of their cars, decrease traffic and make an even bigger dent in climate goals.
Fares a small part of the budget and expensive to collect
Fares already represent a relatively small part of TriMet’s revenues, just one-sixth of the budget in 2019. Since the pandemic hit in 2020, fares are an even smaller part of the pie. TriMet relies mainly on a dedicated payroll tax in its service area, accounting for nearly two-thirds of revenue in 2019. The second largest source of funds is the federal government.
In Olympia, the cost of fare collection was a big reason for going fare-free. Ending fare collection cuts a lot of costs, starting with the fare-related machines on buses, street cars and at MAX stops. It eliminates the cost of fare enforcement and running the programs providing free or discounted passes to youth and people with low incomes. It saves drivers’ time and aggravation while speeding up boarding.
Increase transit staffing with Rider Ambassadors
Savings should go into expanding TriMet’s Rider Ambassador program, now only a small pilot program on Portland’s streetcars. Rider Ambassadors are the transit version of Portland Street Response. They are riding the streetcars, providing a reassuring and helpful presence and freeing the driver from the need to try to monitor and cope with any challenges that might arise. Rider Ambassadors have mental health training; carry water, dry socks and other supplies; answer questions and deal with situations that would otherwise result in calls to security or the police.
Go fareless with small increases in TriMet’s payroll tax, only on highest salaries
TriMet could have been fareless, with money left over for other needs, for just $120 million in 2019, before fare revenues tanked due to the pandemic. All we need to do is to bump up the payroll tax on high and very high salaries.
That change would pay for going fareless and make the TriMet payroll tax more equitable. Right now, the TriMet payroll tax rate is the same on the highest salaries as it is on the lowest.
The payroll tax could be increased by 1% on high salaries, starting at $175,000 or $200,000. On the highest salaries, that increase could be 2% — on pay above $350,000 or $400,000 a year.
To get a sense of what these tax scenarios could raise, Representative Khanh Pham asked the state Legislative Revenue Office for estimates. They projected that these small increases in the payroll tax would bring in $145 or $165 million in 2023 — depending on the details — and $8 to $10 million more in 2024.
Free TriMet! No fare increases!
Fare increases are unnecessary, cruel and counterproductive, especially while riders are few and revenues are low. We should be going fareless to encourage more people to ride the bus, reduce traffic, clean up our air, end criminalization of young people and make transportation more available to everyone.
Editor’s note: The following sentence was clarified after initial publication: "When Kansas City surveyed riders last year, they found that more than 80% of riders were able to shop for food more often, could see their health care providers more easily or more often, were able to get or keep a job and felt more like city leadership is concerned about their needs."
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