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Committee backs making Ride On fare-free and approves fees resolution
Summary
The Transportation and Environment Committee voted unanimously April 29 to adopt the FY26 fees, charges and fares resolution, endorsing the executive's recommendation to eliminate fares on Ride On. Staff said the move reduces near-term capital needs and shifts fiscal impacts into later years; the committee also requested implementation details for ambassadors and service protections.
The Montgomery County Transportation and Environment Committee on April 29 voted unanimously to approve the FY26 transportation fees, charges and fares resolution and to advance the executive's recommendation to make Ride On fares free beginning in FY26.
Council staff summarized four fiscal scenarios and said eliminating Ride On fares would cut fare collection and equipment costs while reducing fare revenue. "Loss of fare revenue is expected to be 1 and a half million dollars in FY25," Mr. Kenny told the committee, and staff noted eliminating fares also removes roughly $600,000 a year in fare-collection costs.
Department staff framed the choice as a balance of competing objectives. Director Conklin said regional interoperability and revenue diversity argue for retaining fares, but that current farebox recovery is far lower than historic levels and does not justify large capital investments. "The amount of funds generated through fare collection is so small that it's not matching the cost of collection and the cost of equipment replacement," she said.
Staff highlighted that removing onboard fare equipment produces capital savings estimated at $11,030,000 in FY26 and about $21,000,000 over FY25-30; that reduction in capital need allows a lower mass-transit property tax rate in staff projections. At the same time, the department warned some scenarios that maintain or raise fares could produce larger long-run fiscal benefits if enforcement recovers a significant share of fare revenue.
Council members pressed staff on enforcement, ridership and service quality. Director Conklin said a $2.25 fare scenario could reduce ridership by roughly "18 to 20%" and cautioned that aggressive enforcement can cause confrontations and slow service. Members insisted that free fares not come at the expense of reliability; the chair asked for a departmental pledge that routes and base service levels would not be reduced.
Committee members also discussed implementation: staff proposed a $250,000 annual "0 Fare Transit Ambassadors" line item for outreach and a modest physical presence at key stops during rollout to reinforce safety and behavior expectations. Some members expressed skepticism that the outreach budget is necessary; the committee placed that line item on the reconciliation list for further detail ahead of full council action.
The vote on the fees, charges and fares resolution'which incorporates the Ride On fare elimination'was unanimous.
Next steps: the full County Council will consider the FY26 budget and reconciliation items, including the ambassador funding and detailed implementation plans for the fare-free rollout.
