WASHINGTON — A campaign to push back against fare evasion on the Metro will begin on Nov. 1.
Metro Transit Police will begin issuing fare evasion citations starting Tuesday. Metro spent the last month raising awareness and hosting a warning campaign for passengers regarding fare enforcement.
Citations will be handed out to anyone jumping fare gates, improperly using emergency gates or not tapping fare boxes on Metrobuses.
Fare evasion causes significant revenue loss for WMATA. The agency claims in 2022 it lost $40 million or 22% of the total upcoming budget gap.
"Using data from Metrobus and pre-pandemic industry averages for Metrorail, Metro estimates revenue losses due to fare evasion totaling tens of millions of dollars in fiscal year 2022," said WMATA in a release.
WMATA claims that people who neglect to pay fares may receive fines for fare evasion in each jurisdiction. According to the WMATA website, possible fines include $50 in D.C. and up to $100 in Virginia and Maryland.
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WMATA says that people who neglect to pay fares may receive fines for fare evasion in each jurisdiction.