The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors has approved a program that would eliminate fares for students and low-income riders, but the program's future rests on finding sustainable funding sources.

The board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has tentatively approved "a 23-month fareless transit pilot program" for K-12 and community college students—provided that the agency can prove they can cover the cost, among other conditions. "Right now, no launch date has been set, though the staff proposal sought to start with the student groups this August, then expand in January 2022 to include 'qualifying low-income residents,'" reports Ryan Fonseca in LAist.
A Metro task force has been studying the issue since September. The agency's CEO Phil Washington, "who is stepping down from his role this month, pitched exploring free transit as a moral obligation of the agency. Eliminating fares is also seen as a way to improve transit service by reducing boarding time, and encourage more people to take the system regularly by removing a financial barrier." While rider fares make up around 13% of Metro's operating costs, "roughly one-third of those costs go toward expenses related to fare collection, such as fare enforcement, accounting and fare box maintenance." Fareless transit would also address "equity concerns about Black and brown riders being targeted for fare evasion, leading to confrontations with law enforcement and deaths on the system."
With 70 percent of Metro riders qualifying as low-income, eliminating fares would be "a major step toward making the county’s bus and rail system free for all riders." But the agency must still contend with the cost of a permanent program. "In its report to the board, staff noted that 'a sustainable source of additional funding' will need to be secured for fareless transit to remain viable."
FULL STORY: LA Metro Moves Forward With Plan To Explore Free Transit System

The Right to Mobility
As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.

Early Sharrow Booster: ‘I Was Wrong’
The lane marking was meant to raise awareness and instill shared respect among drivers and cyclists. But their inefficiency has led supporters to denounce sharrows, pushing instead for more robust bike infrastructure that truly protects riders.

Push and Pull: The Link Between Walkability and Affordability
The increased demand for walkable urban spaces could make them more and more exclusionary if cities don’t pursue policies to limit displacement and boost affordability.

L.A. County Towns Clash Over Homelessness Policies
Local governments often come to different conclusions about how to address homelessness within their respective borders, but varying approaches only exacerbate the problem.

A Mixed-Use Vision for Houston Landfill Site
A local nonprofit is urging the city to consider adding mixed-use development to the site, which city officials plan to turn into a stormwater detention facility.

Milwaukee County Makes Substantial Progress on Homelessness
In 2022, the county’s point-in-time count of unhoused people reflected just 18 individuals, the lowest in the country.
Town of Palm Beach
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
York County Government
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Fitchburg, WI
City of Culver City
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.