Metro started its crackdown on bus fare evasion on May 24, and the cops aren’t messing around.
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So far, the Metro Transit Police Department has issued 807 citations for not paying the $2.25 bus fare, plus arrested 51 for various charges.
“They’re not going to be arrested for fare evasion. They’re going to be arrested for failure to comply or other things,” Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager Randy Clarke told Washington’s WTOP-FM.
Among the 51 people arrested, 11 had outstanding warrants, according to WUSA-TV.
Not every rider has been deterred from dodging the fare by the new campaign.
“I’m gonna be so honest with y’all. We did this today. We just got somewhere to be,” one rider, who did not provide their name, told WDVM-TV on Tuesday.
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Other riders are supportive of the new emphasis on fare enforcement.
“It keeps everyone in line. That’s the only thing I can say about it,” a rider, who did not provide their name, told the Maryland TV station.
Metro officials have said that nearly 70% of riders on Metro buses don’t pay, one of the highest rates in the nation, and that if fares continue going in that direction, the agency faces a $50 million loss this fiscal year.
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