DC transit agency uses cops to enforce bus fares, says 70% of riders don’t pay, losing $50M a year

The transit service for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is now using police officers to enforce bus fare payments, amid 70% of riders not paying and losing nearly $50 million annually in recent years, according to news reports.

“We’re not interested in citations,” Randy Clarke, general manager for the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Agency, told WTOP news on Thursday. “We’re not interested in arrests. The less citations and less arrests, that’s success for us. We just want people to pay their fair share.”

He also said the agency is using data to determine the routes with the highest fare evasion rates and officers will be deployed there. The percentage of riders not paying significantly increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the news reports.

The enforcement program includes uniformed officers at bus doors and plainclothes officers issuing citations to riders who enter the bus without paying. Several passengers have reportedly been arrested in connection with confrontations with police over not paying.