Fare evasion has shaped up to be a massive problem in the District of Columbia, stoking concerns from local officials about enforcement mechanisms.
Riders hopping gates to avoid paying the fare has been a problem that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has been trying to curb in the last few months. When lawbreakers are targeted, a NOTUS report published Monday indicated they rarely end up facing consequences despite Metro’s own estimates showing that bus fare evasion alone could cost the agency roughly $50 million this fiscal year.
Over the past two years, thousands of fare evasion citations have been dismissed by the district’s Office of Administrative Hearings, which is supposed to adjudicate tickets issued by the police and other city agencies. A district official conceded that the “structural realities and independent nature of the agencies involved have made effective fare enforcement difficult.” At a May 14 Metro meeting, officials said just bus fare evasion stood at 69.4% from July 2025 through March.
“I don’t know that there has been a citation that has gone through full adjudication,” one source told the outlet, amid data showing Metro Transit Police has recorded 9,745 cases this year, including 6,270 in the district.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau called the findings “a big problem,” expressing concern that a lack of consequences for breaking the law will spur further crime.
“If they don’t think the ticket will be enforced, then they don’t feel deterred by the ticketing,” she said.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Brooke Pinto called on the WMATA to reform processes used to issue citations to ensure “a sustainable and safe system for everyone.”
“It is incumbent on WMATA to ensure fare evasion citations are legible, accurate, and legally sufficient so that fares can be enforced,” she said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the WMATA, the OHA, and the mayor’s office for comment.
The WMATA has ramped up citations for fare evasion in recent years after the D.C. Council voted to allow law enforcement more power to target offenders.
District Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Secure DC Bill into law in 2024, allowing police officers to issue civil citations for fare evaders. Previously, MTPD officers could engage with those who did not pay the fare but were unable to compel compliance. Instead, officers could only ask an individual to leave the station or go back and pay their fare, “severely limiting enforcement efforts,” according to the WMATA.
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“We will enforce the fares. People will pay the fare, or they will be taken off the bus,” Metro General Manager Randy Clarke promised in May, when transit officials rolled out a new campaign to target lawbreakers. That campaign included “flooding the bus system” with police enforcement in trouble spots, expanding management teams, and using more video surveillance.
“We really want to thank those that pay,” Clarke said. “You’re doing the right thing, and when I hear people say, ‘I don’t see other people pay, I’m not going to pay.’ I ask you, please don’t do that, right? Do the right thing, pay your fare. It’s a community value, and you should not be stealing from your community.”