Low-Income Discounts for Bus and Ferry Trips in Marin

A pilot plan would test lower fares for low-income commuters coming in and out of Marin County in the North Bay Area.

"The Metropolitan Transportation Commission-led pilot project — which BART, Caltrain and San Francisco Muni have also committed to — seeks to increase overall ridership and improve affordability as the Bay Area’s cost-of-living climbs higher,” Will Houston reports for the Marin Independent Journal. The test would begin next year.

"The bridge district and Muni propose to offer a 50% discount to bus and ferry riders who make 200% or below the federal poverty level," Houston reports. This discount would not be available on a system or region wide basis but, rather, serve as a trial. In order to get the benefit, riders would need to have Clipper Cards, something not all low-income riders are able to do.

Other cities have also run trials on low-income fares and seen ridership improve.