Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: Conduct of Research Report (2024)
Chapter: INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for transit agencies seeking to serve the needs of the public while sustaining a safe environment for employees and passengers. Building and maintaining ridership are never easy, and the impacts of the pandemic were dramatic on ridership starting in March 2020 (see Figure 1). In addition to health safety measures and service changes, many transit agencies suspended fares. This helped eliminate cost and process barriers to riders needing the service the most, and it provided for contactless boarding procedures.
As many transit authorities consider continuing or moving to fare-free service, the State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) will be challenged to assist transit agencies in their states with implementation. Understanding the benefits and risks of this policy decision will allow transit agencies to have the very best opportunity to succeed in serving all riders, but especially the most disadvantaged and underserved.
Research Objective
The objective of this research project is to provide a clear, user-friendly means for state DOTs to evaluate, support, and oversee the new or the continuation of short-term zero-fare transit. The focus has been on long-term sustainability, providing a practitioner-ready tool for evaluating benefits and risks, and providing the background to effectively communicate this evaluation at all levels of government and stakeholders. The guiding principles have framed the development of a process and products to help state DOTs throughout the consideration of continuing or implementing zero fares.
Research Approach
The decision to start, extend, or stop fare-free operation, absent a crisis at a level of the COVID pandemic (with the associated funding), is typically a very localized decision. Funding to
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1 American Public Transportation Association. APTA Ridership Trends. https://transitapp.com/apta.
overcome the loss of fares is a common thread, but the value decision to commit resources or accept risk is one that must fit the community being served and is very context-specific. This decision is made easier if outside funding from the state or other sources is available, but there are many factors to be considered.
The goal of this project and the approaches undertaken for its completion is not to develop a process that ends with a decision regarding fare-free operation but to provide decision-makers with the information required to make an informed decision. While the perspective is primarily from a state DOT vantage point, the findings will also support the same decisions being made down to the transit agency level. This methodology can also be used for post-implementation analysis.
Project Management
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) served as the project lead and the primary point of contact for NCHRP. TTI and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, engaged in all tasks, with contributions from The Minor Group on tasks related to the development of the tool and final deliverables. A 20-month schedule for the project was adopted based on a September 19, 2022, start date.
Work Plan
The research project consists of four phases consisting of seven tasks to meet the research objectives. Figure 2 provides a high-level summary of the tasks performed. The details for each task and the findings are then described in the following chapters.
