Washington DC: US Capital is set to become the largest city in the country to provide free bus service.
The announcement was made about plans for permanent free bus service along all routes in a bid to increase ridership.
From July 1, 2023, the $2 bus fare will be waived, after DC Council’s unanimous vote is finalized later this month.
According to newswire AP, the American capital had suspended bus fares during the Covid pandemic but, recognising that ‘public transit (is) a lifeline for essential workers and that even modest fares could be a burden to them’, city officials plan to make the fare suspension permanent.
Meanwhile, DC Council will also expand bus service to 24 hours on 12 major downtown routes, benefiting nightlife and service workers.
Earlier, Kansas City, Missouri, launched its permanent ZeroFare program in March 2020 and Albuquerque, New Mexico, began a yearlong pilot in January, which has been extended through summer 2023.
Boston and Denver also have had short test runs of free public transit in 2022.
Reportedly, in Washington, there were about 180,000 bus rides a month this year through October, according to data from the transit authority. Pre-pandemic, the number was about 410,000 a month.