Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

What if I told you that poor people pay more to ride transit than rich people. Seems unfair, right?

But that's one of the unintended consequences of most unlimited ride passes most U.S. transit agencies offer. Weekly or monthly passes can do wonders for riders, but the upfront cost is often too much for low-income people to afford, so they end up paying more per ride than people who don't blink at the price of an unlimited.

In this video, TransitCenter explains how a policy known as "fare-capping" makes unlimited transit passes available to people who can't cover the full cost all at once.

The concept is simple: If you purchase single rides, the system still caps the price you pay in a given period. So if a single fare costs $2.50 and a daily pass costs $5, you can take three or more rides in a day and still only pay $5. Weekly or monthly spending on fares would be capped in the same way.

Last year, Portland's Tri-Met became the first U.S. agency to institute fare-capping. The agency estimated it would reduce fare revenue between 1 and 1.5 percent, but would also reduce fare evasion.

In order for fare-capping to work, agencies need to have a fare system in place that counts how many trips people make with their farecards. As more agencies adopt reloadable farecards that track people's rides, fare-capping should become standard practice, TransitCenter says.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Are a Different Kind of Death Spiral

Transit funding cuts lead to faster climate change leads to economic catastrophe leads to more transit cuts.

September 10, 2025

Republicans Target D.C. Traffic Cameras and Right-on-Red Ban Amid Trump ‘Takeover’

Automated enforcement has been shown to work. But federal officials who drive everywhere don't like it. Welcome to the Trump administration's takeover.

September 10, 2025

White House Threatens Transit Cuts After Murder on N.C. Train

A top White House official signaled he'd capitalize on a recent murder on a Charlotte, N.C. train to cut funding to transit systems across the country.

September 9, 2025

Should Tuesday’s Headlines Be Worried?

Most U.S. cities are not in great shape financially, Pew reports, which could mean more transit cuts coming down the pike.

September 9, 2025

The War on … Walking and Biking?

Corporations and policymakers aren't just promoting car dependency — they're actively making it harder to walk, bike, and move in our communities. So why is it so hard to name their enemies?

September 9, 2025

Emergency Rally: Advocates Demand Gov. Newsom ‘Fund Transit Now’

All the major transit advocacy groups assembled Monday morning in downtown San Francisco to demand the city's former mayor (Governor Gavin Newsom) intervene and stop the cancellation of a vital $750 million state loan intended to keep the city moving.

September 8, 2025
See all posts