“This still presents a lot of barriers to people.” “It will be complicated and difficult to put in place,” said Los Angeles City Councilman and LA Metro board member Mike Bonin. Many riders will fall through the cracks and not register, some say. LA Metro board members and groups advocating a universal fare-less system say the discounts are good, but not as beneficial as totally fare-less. More information is available at /riding/fares/ online.
A massive marketing campaign will use social media, bus and train placards, radio, TV and newspaper ads as well as pop-up events in low-income regions. Participants can self-attest their income but are subject to penalties if an audit reveals they don’t qualify. The goal is to double the number of enrollees. LA Metro began testing new, user-friendly web portals and paper applications for the LIFE program on Wednesday, Oct.
Students must activate their new TAP cards to receive free rides. But only at participating school and college districts. Under a 23-month pilot program approved in this fall, K-12 and community college students ride free.
Also, new LIFE members get free rides for the first 90 days after signing up. The promotion for income-qualified riders lasts through July 20, 2022. A weekly pass will be $6.50 and a month pass will be $26 (normally $76). LIFE (Low Income Fare is Easy) program members will get steeper discounts.Fares via passes are half-off through Jthe charge will be $3.50 for a day pass, $12.50 for a weekly pass and $50 for a monthly pass.To ease riders into paying, the LA Metro board approved several limited-time discounts: Enforcement begins a month later, according to LA Metro. The base fare is $1.75 a ride and $100 for a monthly transit pass. Train riders must tap the electronic card reader at the turnstiles or down the platform. 10, bus riders must board at the front and pay their fare. What to do with 13 inoperable electric buses? Foothill Transit mulls its options.
Medrano wondered how families now accustomed to riding the buses for free will find the extra cash to pay for rides in the future. Some used the money to buy groceries for their neighbors, she added.
Money saved from not buying a monthly bus pass, which can cost $100, went to pay for Wi-Fi to power the internet so the children of these workers could attend online school from home. Shoe-shiners and house painters could find additional clients without spending a cent on transportation, Medrano said. Some women who work for cash as housekeepers would ride free on a mission scouting for more houses to clean. 10, 2022 when LA Metro starts collecting fares again.
A woman gets ready to board the 2 bus to Westwood/UCLA from a stop in Hollywood on Oct. “The money they saved from free transportation they’ve used to pay for family member funerals,” Medrano said. Elizabeth Medrano, advocate and organizer for Women Organizing Resources and Knowledge and Services (WORKS), a nonprofit serving very low-income tenants in Highland Park and South Los Angeles, said many working women lost loved ones to the coronavirus.īut those same women found a silver lining in LA Metro canceling fares in order to funnel bus riders to the rear door, safely away from contact with drivers and the fare box.