The D.C. Council on Tuesday passed a bill calling for Metrobus service to be free of charge in the District.
The Metro for DC Bill, sponsored by Council member Charles Allen, also calls for a $100 monthly subsidy for all D.C. residents to use on their SmartTrip cards; overnight service for 12 major bus lines, and a $10 million bus service improvement fund.
Allen in a statement said the bill “makes the District a national leader in the future of public transit.” He said the free bus rides could start as early as July, and the subsidy could begin in 2024.
“It’s going to make a major difference in people’s lives almost immediately,” he said.
The provisions of the bill are dependent on funding, the statement said. The free buses constitute the first priority for funding that comes in, followed by the 24-hour buses, the improvement fund and the subsidies.
Two weeks ago, the council passed a bill that would set aside any growth in local revenue not foreseen in the budget to pay for the first three items on the list.
Allen said earlier that if D.C. residents don’t spend the full $100 subsidy on their SmartTrip cards in a month, they’d be topped up to that amount. He said in the statement that making the buses free would save the District between $36 million and $38 million on the subsidy.
An analysis by the council’s budget office found that the bus was where the greatest impact on equity could be made. Among its findings:
- 84% of bus riders in D.C. are residents, compared with 44% of rail riders who board in D.C.
- D.C. residents who ride the bus are half as likely to have a workplace transit subsidy as residents who take the rail, while the highest-income riders in D.C. are five times as likely to have a workplace transit subsidy as the lowest-income riders.
The budget office also said at least 42 other U.S. jurisdictions provide fare-free transit or a subsidy for low-income riders.
The measure now heads to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s desk for consideration.
