Dembowski Pushes Fare-Free Pilot at King County Metro
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski wants King County Metro to explore dropping transit fares, putting forward a directive for the county’s budget creating a fare-free pilot program in 2027 that includes at least two bus routes. An idea put forward in response to the fare revenue becoming a much smaller slice of Metro’s overall sources of financial support since the Covid-19 pandemic, Dembowski’s proposal follows in the footsteps of other jurisdictions around the country that have implemented or are are exploring free bus service.
While fare collection does come at a cost for Metro, ditching the farebox could cut off a substantial income stream for Metro, which faces systemic revenue problems over the long-term.
Interim Executive Shannon Braddock’s proposed budget already proposed spending $3.9 million over the next two years to start to transition Metro to a cash-free agency, a move that would allow the agency to stop maintaining fareboxes on coaches, paying for cash handling, and dealing with paper transfers. But Dembowski’s proposed budget proviso would try out fully ditching fares, a move he says could increase ridership and improve equity within transit-dependent parts of the county.
“I continue to be interested in the value of collecting fares compared to the cost incurred to do it, to manage it, for fair enforcement, and then all the other money that we spend on climate reduction work. The theory advanced here on dialing back our zero emission program is we’ve got to get more riders on and that delivers good climate benefits, right?,” Dembowski said during a budget panel last week, referencing the proposed budget’s pivot away from high levels of spending on vehicle electrification. “Jurisdictions that have eliminated fare box fare collection, ridership goes way up. It’s a direct shot in the arm to boosting ridership.”
https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/15/dembowski-pushes-fare-free-pilot-at-king-county-metro/