Seattle to Reinstate Bus Fare Enforcement

King County Metro announced it will resume fare enforcement on March 31 after a pause of nearly five years, reports Nicholas Deshais for The Seattle Times. “The change has less to do with safety and revenue, and more to do with riders’ perceptions of fairness, according to Metro.” Inspectors will begin boarding buses to ask for proof of payment on March 31, and fare evaders will face fines after May 31.

The agency estimates that roughly 34 percent of riders don’t pay their fare. Violators will get two written warning, then could face tickets of up to $40. People will also have the option to load the $20 onto an Orca transit card, do two hours of community service, or enroll in a reduced fare program.

Fares were suspended under the Safety, Security and Fare Enforcement initiative in June 2020, then reinstated in December of that year. However, King County Metro pledged not to resume enforcement “until the agency could figure out a way to do it fairly.” The new approach eliminates the potential to funnel people into the criminal justice system (under old regulations, a third fare violation resulted in a misdemeanor charge).