Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs (2024)
Chapter: Front Matter
Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit
in a Post COVID-19 World
A GUIDE FOR STATE DOTS
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
VICE CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI
James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX
Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames
Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA
Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Atlanta, GA
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Shailen Bhatt, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento
Rand Ghayad, Senior Vice President, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
William H. Graham, Jr. (Major General, U.S. Army), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Sophie Shulman, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
Veronica Vanterpool, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Michael Whitaker, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Vinn White, Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
__________________
* Membership as of August 2024.
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1126
Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World
A GUIDE FOR STATE DOTS
James C. Cline, Jr.
Ipek N. Sener
Kelly Blume
Matthew Miller
TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
College Station, TX
Candace Brakewood
Ashley Hightower
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE
Knoxville, TN
Hollis Minor
THE MINOR GROUP, INC.
Annapolis, MD
Subscriber Categories
Public Transportation • Finance
Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.
Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agreement No. 693JJ31950003.
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.
The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB.
The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1126
Project 19-19
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-72514-9
Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/27927
Epub ISBN: 978-0-309-72517-0
Library of Congress Control Number 2024944703
© 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
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Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1126
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Michael Brooks, Senior Program Officer
Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Doug English, Senior Editor
NCHRP PROJECT 19-19 PANEL
Field of Administration—Area of Finance
Chad Riding, California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, CA (Chair)
John C. Andoh, Redding Area Bus Authority, Redding, CA
Roderick Bailey, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Jackson, MS
Ross MacDonald, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Barre, VT
Lauren Nicole Magnotto, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Richmond, VA
Henry Rosen, WSP, Morristown, NJ
Charles Noble, FHWA Liaison
Shayne H. Gill, AASHTO Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research reported herein was performed under NCHRP Project 19-19 by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a member of The Texas A&M University System, in cooperation with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and The Minor Group, Inc. The research team gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the organizations, agencies, and their representatives involved in the outreach efforts. Their insights and guidance were invaluable in conducting the study and developing the tool.
FOREWORD
By Michael Brooks
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
NCHRP Research Report 1126: Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs provides a guide for the administration of zero-fare public transit services and a decision-support tool for state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other practitioners. A variety of zero-fare program scenarios were developed that explored relevant factors such as agency size, funding sources, modes or transit services operated fare-free, peak-hour capacity demands, fare recovery, regional services, service agreements, and fare dependence. The project outcomes provide a balanced analysis of benefits, costs, and other factors for any state DOT seeking to assist transit agencies in their plans to initiate, sustain, or terminate zero-fare transit programs.
Since fare-free transit services began in the early 1980s, they have operated in numerous forms, including in rural areas as small transit systems, at high-volume recreational venues such as stadiums, and at university campuses. Disbenefits, such as the loss of ticket revenue, occasionally overcrowded vehicles, and an increase in disruptive passengers, were offset by the value of increased ridership and levels of service, as well as a decrease in fare collection expenses. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed momentous changes on the public transit network, with decreased ridership that reflected the public health environment. Many agencies suspended fare collection in this context, with one rationale being the elimination of the passenger-to-operator ticket collection process. As transit operations continue to adapt and recover from the pandemic, the permanence of fare-free services is under consideration, with the evaluation of costs and benefits, level of service, and equity as key factors for implementation.
In NCHRP Project 19-19, “Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs,” the Texas A&M Transportation Institute was asked to develop a guide for state DOTs and their partners on evaluating and implementing sustainable zero-fare transit. The scope of the guide was to consider (1) implementation of zero-fare transit in the United States, (2) the role of state DOTs in developing these policies, (3) supporting the transition from piloting to durable policy, (4) characteristics promoting the sustainability of zero-fare operations, (5) methods to evaluate the costs and benefits of zero-fare transit, (6) the development of a support tool for practitioners, and (7) the effective communication of results to stakeholders. The research determined that the viability of zero-fare transit depends on several factors, including the needs of the customer base, the relative prioritization of equity benefits, and the level of political and institutional support for such policies. Additional considerations for practitioners include the balance of operational savings, for example, by fare collection, compared to lost ridership revenue; potential second-order impacts affecting system volume and security; and the possibility of opting for partial instead of full zero-fare operations.
NCHRP Research Report 1126 includes the guide and an appendix containing user instructions for the practitioners’ tool. It is accompanied by a stand-alone conduct of research report that is available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Web-Only Document 409: Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: Conduct of Research Report. Also available are a downloadable version of the practitioners’ tool and a technical memorandum outlining potential implementation avenues for state DOTs and other transportation agencies. These materials can be found on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1126: Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs.
CONTENTS
Chapter 2 Literature Review and Agency Outreach
Chapter 3 Data Assembly and Analysis
Chapter 4 Scenario Development and Analysis
Chapter 5 Policy Goals Guiding Tool Development
5.1 Improve Transportation Equity
5.3 Improve Operator Working Conditions
5.4 Improve Passenger Experiences
5.7 Minimize Effects to/from Adjacent Systems
5.9 Anticipate Other Potential Challenges
5.10 Improve Safety/Security Perceptions
Chapter 6 Practitioners’ Tool Usage
Chapter 7 Implementation Strategies
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