NCHRP Research Report 1126: Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs provides a guide for the administration of zero-fare public transit services and a decision-support tool for state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other practitioners. A variety of zero-fare program scenarios were developed that explored relevant factors such as agency size, funding sources, modes or transit services operated fare-free, peak-hour capacity demands, fare recovery, regional services, service agreements, and fare dependence. The project outcomes provide a balanced analysis of benefits, costs, and other factors for any state DOT seeking to assist transit agencies in their plans to initiate, sustain, or terminate zero-fare transit programs.

Since fare-free transit services began in the early 1980s, they have operated in numerous forms, including in rural areas as small transit systems, at high-volume recreational venues such as stadiums, and at university campuses. Disbenefits, such as the loss of ticket revenue, occasionally overcrowded vehicles, and an increase in disruptive passengers, were offset by the value of increased ridership and levels of service, as well as a decrease in fare collection expenses. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed momentous changes on the public transit network, with decreased ridership that reflected the public health environment. Many agencies suspended fare collection in this context, with one rationale being the elimination of the passenger-tooperator ticket collection process. As transit operations continue to adapt and recover from the pandemic, the permanence of fare-free services is under consideration, with the evaluation of costs and benefits, level of service, and equity as key factors for implementation.

In NCHRP Project 19-19, “Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs,” the Texas A&M Transportation Institute was asked to develop a guide for state DOTs and their partners on evaluating and implementing sustainable zero-fare transit. The scope of the guide was to consider (1) implementation of zero-fare transit in the United States, (2) the role of state DOTs in developing these policies, (3) supporting the transition from piloting to durable policy, (4) characteristics promoting the sustainability of zero-fare operations, (5) methods to evaluate the costs and benefits of zero-fare transit, (6) the development of a support tool for practitioners, and (7) the effective communication of results to stakeholders. The research determined that the viability of zero-fare transit depends on several factors, including the needs of the customer base, the relative prioritization of equity benefits, and the level of political and institutional support for such policies. Additional considerations for practitioners include the balance of operational savings, for example, by fare collection, compared to lost ridership revenue; potential second-order impacts affecting system volume and security; and the possibility of opting for partial instead of full zero-fare operations. 

NCHRP Research Report 1126 includes the guide and an appendix containing user instructions for the practitioners’ tool. It is accompanied by a stand-alone conduct of research report that is available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Web-Only Document 409: Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: Conduct of Research Report. Also available are a downloadable version of the practitioners’ tool and a technical memorandum outlining potential implementation avenues for state DOTs and other transportation agencies. These materials can be found on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1126: Sustaining Zero-Fare Public Transit in a Post COVID-19 World: A Guide for State DOTs. 

Publication Info

116 pages |  8.5 x 11 |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/27928