MoCo Ride On buses now free to ride

[Anonymous]

Instead of paying $20M to moderrize and integrate fae collection system, MoCo is giving ~3Million free RideOn rides/year.

Barely literate article at https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/11/moco-ride-on-buses-free/

All Ride On buses, which circulate throughout Montgomery County, are now fare-free for all riders, a change that became effective June 29.


The county faced the process of replacing all of its aging fare boxes, a task that could cost up to $20 million, according to transportation department spokesperson Emily DeTitta. Instead, the department chose to eliminate the $1 fares entirely.

“Most people are riding the bus without paying a fare — that would mean we would not have the revenues to pay back the $19 million,” County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said during a virtual press briefing Wednesday afternoon.


Ride On fares were $2 until the COVID-19 pandemic when bus rides became free temporarily. Following the pandemic, Glass advocated for bus rides to remain free, but compromised with Elrich to reduce pre-pandemic fares to $1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instead of paying $20M to moderrize and integrate fae collection system, MoCo is giving ~3Million free RideOn rides/year.

Barely literate article at https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/11/moco-ride-on-buses-free/

All Ride On buses, which circulate throughout Montgomery County, are now fare-free for all riders, a change that became effective June 29.


The county faced the process of replacing all of its aging fare boxes, a task that could cost up to $20 million, according to transportation department spokesperson Emily DeTitta. Instead, the department chose to eliminate the $1 fares entirely.

“Most people are riding the bus without paying a fare — that would mean we would not have the revenues to pay back the $19 million,” County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said during a virtual press briefing Wednesday afternoon.


Ride On fares were $2 until the COVID-19 pandemic when bus rides became free temporarily. Following the pandemic, Glass advocated for bus rides to remain free, but compromised with Elrich to reduce pre-pandemic fares to $1.

What’s that about barely literate?

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand the comment that most people are riding the bus without paying a fare.

But overall I think is a financially driven decision that encourages public transportation. It would seem that the Ride On was able to function with $0 fares during the pandemic and at 50% since then. They’ve shown they don’t need the fare revenue to function as is.

Why invest money in something you know you won’t have a positive ROI on? Sometimes it’s for the greater good so you do it anyway. But in this case they’re not spending money and public doesn’t pay money while service remains the same. Seems like a win win all around.

[Anonymous]

Your tax dollars are paying for the bus system whether you want or need a bus or not. Standard liberal approach instead of the system being paid for by the people who use it, who apparently couldn't be bothered to even pay $1 to use it anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your tax dollars are paying for the bus system whether you want or need a bus or not. Standard liberal approach instead of the system being paid for by the people who use it, who apparently couldn't be bothered to even pay $1 to use it anyway.

People who can afford to own, register, and maintain a car, and pay for gas and parking don’t tend to use Ride On buses. The people who use them don’t have much money to spend on transportation and/or can’t drive. Students, the elderly, and low income citizens tend to be the riders. Tax dollars are used to help get these populations where they need to go. Without Ride On buses, it would be even harder for businesses to employee part time hourly wage workers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the comment that most people are riding the bus without paying a fare.

But overall I think is a financially driven decision that encourages public transportation. It would seem that the Ride On was able to function with $0 fares during the pandemic and at 50% since then. They’ve shown they don’t need the fare revenue to function as is.

Why invest money in something you know you won’t have a positive ROI on? Sometimes it’s for the greater good so you do it anyway. But in this case they’re not spending money and public doesn’t pay money while service remains the same. Seems like a win win all around.

I ride the bus a lot, because I am a special ed teacher who teaches people how to ride transit as part of my job. Since the pandemic at least 1/2 the busses I have gotten on have had broken fare boxes. In addition, I have been told that drivers have been told to allow passengers with visible disabilities and their support staff to ride free, because the system for requesting Metro Access cards isn’t working. Students and young children also ride free. Those are significant populations. It’s easy for me to believe that, even before anyone cheats the system, 2/3 to 3/4 of riders were riding for free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your tax dollars are paying for the bus system whether you want or need a bus or not. Standard liberal approach instead of the system being paid for by the people who use it, who apparently couldn't be bothered to even pay $1 to use it anyway.

I assume you are good with tolls on every road then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the comment that most people are riding the bus without paying a fare.

Having worked for a bus company for decades, let me explain this as best I can in a few sentences.

In the distant past, people paid. And if they didn’t, the bus driver could remind them and all was well.

Then we got to the era where people stopped paying and if you reminded them, and they paid. The we got to the place where you reminded the dare evaders and they assaulted you. That is a hugely expensive event for a bus company. And really pretty awful for the drivers. So bus companies started to ignore fare jumpers. And then people who would usually pay didn’t always.

And then there are kids who have no money who try to hop a bus at night. No one is ever going to turn a penniless kid away because they don’t want to be the last person to have ever seen them alive - and who turned them away.

Public transportation is a public service that benefits all of us who live in areas that offer it. It will never pay for itself through fares. The decision to charge and the amount are really a public policy decision.

Personally I applaud MC for this decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the comment that most people are riding the bus without paying a fare.

Because many people qualified for free fare, not due to intentional fare evasion like others mentioned (though I'm sure that happened). If you're a school student, you get free fare. If you're a senior, you get free fare. If you're disabled, or a county employee (some of them), you get free fare, and so on.

On the route I take, I'd be one of the few who didn't qualify for a free fare, as a middle-aged, working, healthy adult. The others who also had to pay were working folks, and a lot of them appeared to be going to lower-paid type of jobs. I see nothing wrong with cutting them a break.

It might even get more Ride-On usage = fewer cars on the road. Win-win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your tax dollars are paying for the bus system whether you want or need a bus or not. Standard liberal approach instead of the system being paid for by the people who use it, who apparently couldn't be bothered to even pay $1 to use it anyway.

I ride the bus, and you benefit from my doing so because that is one fewer car in between you and where you are trying to go, as well as one more parking space that’s available for you at your destination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your tax dollars are paying for the bus system whether you want or need a bus or not. Standard liberal approach instead of the system being paid for by the people who use it, who apparently couldn't be bothered to even pay $1 to use it anyway.

People who can afford to own, register, and maintain a car, and pay for gas and parking don’t tend to use Ride On buses. The people who use them don’t have much money to spend on transportation and/or can’t drive. Students, the elderly, and low income citizens tend to be the riders. Tax dollars are used to help get these populations where they need to go. Without Ride On buses, it would be even harder for businesses to employee part time hourly wage workers.

Students aready get free rides. There are also discounts to seniors.

[Anonymous]

It's a bit rich to screech "why should my tax dollars pay for this" when you all directly benefit from the work done by the grocery store cashiers, retail workers, healthcare workers, trash and recycling workers, etc. many of your nannies and domestic workers could literally not work for you without the buses. And because they can't afford cars, you get more space on the road for your giant SUV.

Sometimes the wealthy people in this area really disgust me.

[Anonymous]

I think this is great! I thought they were already free.

Another example for Zohran to cite!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your tax dollars are paying for the bus system whether you want or need a bus or not. Standard liberal approach instead of the system being paid for by the people who use it, who apparently couldn't be bothered to even pay $1 to use it anyway.

People who can afford to own, register, and maintain a car, and pay for gas and parking don’t tend to use Ride On buses. The people who use them don’t have much money to spend on transportation and/or can’t drive. Students, the elderly, and low income citizens tend to be the riders. Tax dollars are used to help get these populations where they need to go. Without Ride On buses, it would be even harder for businesses to employee part time hourly wage workers.

Students aready get free rides. There are also discounts to seniors.

Yes. That was a post about who is riding without paying a fare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is great! I thought they were already free.

Another example for Zohran to cite!

Unlike food, the transportation is produced by the government. They can charge what they like.