The cost of transportation can present several challenges for Washingtonians: making it harder to get a job, maintain a job, access social services, obtain healthcare, and care for their families. In 2023, the District and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (“Metro”) piloted free and discounted fares for low-income residents. We found that discounts increased public transit use and well-being and that discounts had no effect on employment. The pilot has helped shape Metro Lift, a Metro program that makes transit more affordable to riders who receive food assistance.
Participants receiving discounts were invited to pick up their discounted SmarTrip cards at WMATA’s Transit Accessibility Center in January and February 2023. (Source: The Lab @ DC)
Why is this issue important in DC?
Before the pilot launched, low-income adults in the District were not eligible as a group for transit discounts. Pre-pandemic studies showed that reducing fares for low-income riders can increase public transit use1 and job search activity.2 Given changes in ridership patterns, it was not clear whether discounts would have the same impact coming out of the pandemic, and there were open questions about impacts on other outcomes, like residents’ quality of life and employment.
What did we do?
In 2022, 2,411 residents who qualify for utility assistance based on their income signed up for the nine-month pilot, which ran from January to October 2023. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) no discount on transit; (2) a half-price discount on transit; or (3) free, unlimited trips.
We used administrative data from Metro to measure how the discounts affect the number and type of trips participants take on transit, as well as participants’ earnings. In summer 2023, we surveyed participants about their well-being and any challenges they experienced getting around.
What did we learn?
For participants who regularly used a fare card to pay, half-price discounts doubled their trips on transit, and free, unlimited trips quadrupled them. They also spent enough on new rides to offset the 50% discount’s costs to Metro.
Participants with any discount also reported higher levels of overall well-being and reported fewer problems related to transportation in their lives. We found no evidence that the discounts changed participant earnings or the number of months they self-reported working for pay.
More findings on the types of places discounts helped participants visit, their ridership on regional bus operators, and the impacts on cash payment and fare evasion are available in the report.
What comes next?
The results of this study are a promising sign for policymakers interested in the impact of transit discount policies. In mid-2023, Metro launched its “Metro Lift” program, informed by lessons from this pilot. Metro Lift offers 50% off Metrobus and Metrorail to DC, Maryland, and Virginia customers enrolled in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Our results suggest that programs like Metro Lift can be good investments for both residents and transit providers. We continue to share insights from the pilot to help inform Metro Lift and other programs like it.
“Going around on the metro was only for must go days. With my LIFT fare free card, I was able to go everywhere.”
What happened behind the scenes?
In 2024, we brought together a group of participants who had received discounts to help us interpret some unexpected results from the study. Their insights helped us to better understand patterns in the data, identify new analyses to perform, and talk about participants’ experiences. We have incorporated their feedback in the final report and in how we share the findings with policymakers.