OPINION:
After five years, the D.C. Council is finally rethinking its knee-jerk decision to decriminalize fare evasion on the Metro.
The unsurprising result of the misguided 2018 policy of looking the other way on turnstile-jumping has been a system bleeding millions of dollars in potential revenue to nonpaying cheats.
The idea of slashing the penalty from a maximum $300 fine, 10 days in jail, or both to a seldom-enforced $50 civil fine came from self-styled social justice warriors. The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, for example, claimed that between 2016 and 2017 (prior to decriminalization), 91% of fare-evasion tickets were issued to Black people, half of whom were under the age of 25. From this, the group concluded penalties were racially inequitable.
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It should have been obvious from the get-go that decriminalization policy would serve as a green light for fare dodging, just as California’s go-easy-on-shoplifting laws have had the predictable effect of creating a new multibillion-dollar merchandise boosting industry.
Store chains such as CVS, Walgreens and Target have bit hit so hard that they closed dozens of outlets in urban areas in the Golden State, unable to withstand the massive increase in what retailers euphemistically dub “shrink.” Left behind are vacant, boarded-up storefronts, especially in inner cities. That’s making life difficult for people of all races in the affected areas.
While Metro can’t board up the entrances to station stops in the District, the perennially cash-strapped system needs to address the alarming revenue shrink. Installation of new, higher gates that make jumping over the turnstiles harder has proved to be a solid first step, reducing fare evasion by more than 70% as of August, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
In what might be described as a keen grasp of the obvious, Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Anzallo said: “People that jump over, they’re stealing.”
Making the free riders pay what, in other contexts, would be called their fair share is also being taken somewhat seriously by one member of the D.C. Council.
Ward 2’s Brooke Pinto, who leads the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, held a hearing last week on her measure that would at least require people accused of fare evasion to provide their name and address if stopped by a law enforcement officer. If they refused to comply, they could face a $100 fine.
Fare evasion is hardly a victimless crime. Those who do pay face rising rates to compensate for the lost revenue, even as the Metro board comes hat in hand to taxpayers for evermore operating subsidies not only in the District, but also in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
As WMATA prominently reminds subway riders on its website: “Remember to pay your fare before riding.” But turnstile-jumpers and other fare evaders don’t need to be reminded, because it’s not a case of their forgetting to pay.
The agency goes on to say, “If you don’t pay your fare, Metro Transit Police could fine you.” But to be an effective deterrent, that must be a credible threat — which it isn’t now.
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