Riding the bus in Raleigh will be free for another year. Should it always be?
News&Observer, June 18, 2022
People have been able to ride city buses in Raleigh for free since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the City Council has extended the free rides for another year, through June 2023.
A coalition that includes nonprofit social service groups and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce would like to see zero fares continue indefinitely. They say going fare free increases ridership, reduces the time buses idle while passengers get on and helps low-income people who depend on the bus.
“When you think of all the factors that can impact an individual’s life, success or ability to get into a new job, this is something we can do as a region that could really make a very large difference in people’s lives,” said Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a program of the Raleigh chamber.
But before zero-fare buses can become permanent, city leaders will need to solve two problems: how to make up for the lost fare revenue and how to respond when free buses become de facto shelters on wheels.
So far, the federal government has made it easy for GoRaleigh and other public bus systems in the Triangle to get by without charging riders.
In March 2020, as the coronavirus spread, GoRaleigh, GoDurham, GoTriangle and GoCary stopped collecting fares and had riders get on and off through the rear doors to enforce social distancing and reduce contact with frequently touched surfaces, including the fare box.
That same month, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security or CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus package that provided money for public transit agencies. That money more than made up for the lost revenue and is allowing the Raleigh City Council to continue the policy for another year.
The GoTriangle board, the Cary Town Council and the Durham City Council are expected to approve another year of zero fares soon.
Before the pandemic, it cost $1.25 to get on a GoRaleigh bus, with discounts for people with disabilities or on Medicare. A monthly pass cost $40. People 65 and older and 12 or younger were free, and teens 13 to 18 could ride free with a special pass.
Fares generated about $3.5 million a year for GoRaleigh, or about 18% of operating expenses, said spokeswoman Andrea Epstein. The rest came from various federal, state and local government sources and advertising.
Having so much of the system already subsidized makes it easier to do away with fares altogether, said Milazzo. “We can get the rest of the way to zero fare in a way that other regions can’t easily do because we just don’t rely on fares very much to run our buses,” he said. “We’ve already chosen to be almost zero fare.”
‘It helps everybody to save money’
Eliminating the fares is a real benefit to riders like Jerome Perry, a retired brick mason who lives on Social Security. Perry, 62, takes the bus every day for errands such as grocery shopping and doctors appointments, and before COVID-19, he spent $40 a month on a bus pass. With the price of everything going up not having that expense is a blessing.
“I’m on a fixed income,” he said. “It helps a lot.”
Engress Kearney, 58, also takes the bus everywhere, to shop, visit family and to get to her job as a server at the K&W Cafeteria.
Kearney says the savings on a monthly bus pass have helped her keep up with the rising cost of groceries. Kearney also says the free bus is a godsend for people who are worse off than her.
“A lot of people don’t have money to catch the bus every day,” she said. “Homeless people can ride around on a cool bus to get out of the sun.”
But the growing number of people who ride the bus because they have no where else to go is creating problems for drivers and other passengers, said Terrence Dewberry, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1328, which represents GoRaleigh drivers. Dewberry said assaults and harassment of drivers have increased as people with mental illness or substance abuse problems ride buses all day.
“We’re not opposed to free fares. What we have concerns about is our safety,” Dewberry said. “When everything’s free, any and everybody can get on the bus.”
Dewberry would like to see the city hire a private security firm to ride the buses.
“I know that the police force is undermanned,” he said. “But we can have private security on board in order to try to de-escalate some situations.”
City Council member Jonathan Melton, a proponent of fare-free buses, said he expects the council to hold work sessions in the fall to address the safety concerns of drivers and make up for lost revenue as the federal CARES Act windfall runs out.
Melton said free rides benefit GoRaleigh’s “need riders,” those who rely on the buses to get around. But he also said they can help the system attract more “choice riders,” those with cars who might be interested in trying the bus. Eliminating the need for tickets, transfers and correct change will help, he said.
“If you’re already hesitant to take public transportation, and then you try to get on and you don’t have a dollar and a quarter, that can be a very confusing process,” he said.
Ultimately, the city needs to attract more choice bus riders to ease congestion and reduce pollution, said David Meeker, co-owner of Trophy Brewing Co. and Carpenter Development. Meeker was heavily involved in the coalition that supports fare-free buses (he says it didn’t have a formal name, then suggested calling it “Fare Free Raleigh”).
“We never officially launched the campaign because the City Council went fare free before we could,” Meeker said. “They beat us to it. What happened was the pandemic happened.”
‘It’s tough to go back’ to collecting fares
Transit systems across the country are considering eliminating fares or have already tried it. Among them is Kansas City, which learned, Meeker notes, that the lost revenue was partially offset by lower costs of selling tickets and handling cash.
Triangle bus systems don’t have to look far for a model. Chapel Hill Transit buses have been free since 2002, thanks in large part to a subsidy provided by UNC Chapel Hill. Ridership jumped 42% the first year fares were abolished, the agency reported at the time, then another 14% the following year.
It’s hard to measure the impact of eliminating fares during the pandemic, said GoRaleigh’s Epstein. COVID-19 reduced transit ridership overall as people worked remotely or as jobs and routines became scrambled.
“Right now we’re down 10% to 15% of what we were pre-pandemic ridership. Which is actually good compared to many systems,” Epstein said. “It’s just very hard to determine what is having people either get on the bus or not get on the bus.”
As the federal pandemic relief money runs out, Raleigh will need to find another way to keep GoRaleigh fare free. Meeker says he hopes the council will make it part of the city’s budget, which topped $1.1 billion this year.
Melton said the council will tackle that and other questions, including whether the city’s bus rapid transit or BRT system will be fare free as well. He acknowledges that three years without charging for the bus wouldn’t be easy to undo.
“I think it kind of creates an expectation for the riders and the public. It’s tough to go back,” Melton said. “But I think having that conversation — a work session around those issues and strategies — will be important because it may help illuminate the path forward for us.”