GRTC to continue zero-fare operations through June 2022

GRTC will remain fare-free through June 2022, the organization’s board of directors decided Tuesday morning.

Using state and federal COVID relief funding, GRTC has been able to provide free trips to passengers on its Local Bus, Pulse (Bus Rapid Transit), Express Bus, and CARE/Paratransit vans since March 19, 2020. The idea was implemented in response to public health measures and in the interest of economically distressed communities who rely on public transit services to reach jobs, food, healthcare, and other critical community resources, GRTC officials said.

GRTC’s annual operating and capital expenditures for FY 2022 are expected to approach $100 million, including $5.8 million enabling Zero Fare operations from Federal relief funding. In FY 2019 before the pandemic, GRTC received $6.8 million in fare revenue directly from riders and paid $1.6 million in expenses associated with fare collection, resulting in a $5.2 million net fare box revenue.

In FY 2022, non-staffing fare expenses were removed from the budget. Fare collection staff have been offered essential non-fare job functions within GRTC. The projected net revenue difference of $5.8 million will be replaced in the budget by federal COVID relief funds as the region continues to recover economically from the pandemic.

“Although bus ridership did decline in 2020 across the nation during the pandemic, GRTC local ridership drops were modest by comparison and are already approaching pre-COVID levels,” said GRTC CEO Julie Timm.  She attributed the ridership rebound to the strength of GRTC’s 2018 network redesign, connecting essential workers to jobs; extensive COVID protective measures the system enacted early during the pandemic; and an ongoing commitment to zero-fare operations.

“GRTC’s focus on connecting people to essential resources resulted in higher sustained ridership,” she said. “Higher ridership translates into increased federal and state formula funding and creates a positive feedback loop for GRTC to improve and grow the region’s mobility network.”

GRTC provided 7.1 million trips between July 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020.