Metro lost $50M in bus fare evasion alone in just 9 months

Nearly 70% of bus riders don’t pay, Metro said.

WASHINGTON — Nothing has changed more than a year and a half after Metro said 70% of bus riders are fare evading — and it cost the agency $50 million dollars in just nine months.

Between July 2025 and March 2026, fare evasion reached 69.4% on buses, as compared to just 4.8% on trains. At Metro’s Board of Directors meeting Thursday morning, one staffer said not only is it twice the national average for comparable systems, it’s also the highest number in the country.

WMATA staff

This post was originally published on this site