The city council tabled discussions of four free transit days until it could do more research on the economic impact.
Phoenix City Council approved reduced transit fares on Phoenix’s Bus Rapid Transit service for riders who meet income requirements on Aug. 26. The city council also approved a new fare collection structure and tabled discussions of approving four free transit days per year until the city and the Valley Metro Board of Directors could further study the economic impact from the fare losses.
Any riders who pay with a Valley Metro reloadable smart card or the Valley Metro mobile app will now pay a “Smart Fare.” “Rather than paying in advance for the full cost of a daily, weekly or monthly pass, riders tap or scan their fare every time but are only charged until they reach the maximum for the day, week or month. Rides are free for the rest of the time frame after that. That way a rider avoids a situation like paying for a monthly pass but ending up not using light rail as much as they anticipated that month," Your Valley reports.
The city council also eliminated the 15-day Metro pass, which Phoenix staff stated was underutilized.
Read the full story: Phoenix approves transit fare discounts, needs more planning for free fare days
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