Zero- and Reduced-Fare Transit Policy and Post-Pandemic Recovery: A Multi-Agency Analysis of Ridership, Service Supply, and Access

Despite growing interest in fare reduction as a policy lever, rigorous comparative evidence on its effects, particularly in the post-pandemic context, remains limited. In Virginia some 40 transit agencies eliminated fares for some period of time during the COVID pandemic, leading the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to ask how fare reduction or fare elimination have affected ridership, operations, and access for system users. This research addresses that question by developing a structured analytical framework and applying it to a sample of transit agencies in which Virginia properties are heavily represented. Using longitudinal data spanning years before and after the pandemic “lockdown”, the research compares agencies that adopted zero- and reduced-fare policies or means-tested fare-free programs against matched fare-collecting agencies. The analysis addresses three interrelated outcomes: ridership recovery trajectories, changes in service supply and scheduled speeds and headways, and shifts in access to employment and key destinations. For a representative subset of agencies, the study also conducts a network-level analysis of access to employment using Remix, a transit planning and scheduling software tool, for a selected set of agencies that represent a range of system sizes. Findings are intended to provide evidence-based guidance for Virginia transit agencies and other stakeholders considering fare policy as a tool for ridership recovery and service quality and performance.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $330,977.00
• Contract Numbers:

  129149

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Managing Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Project Managers:

  Gillespie, James

• Performing Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903

  University of Virginia, Charlottesville

  Center for Transportation Studies
  P.O. Box 400742, Thornton Hall, D228
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Principal Investigators:

  Gillespie, James

  Ohlms, Peter

  Chen, T

• Start Date: 20260601
• Expected Completion Date: 20280331
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Before and after studies; COVID-19; Free fares; Level of service; Public transit; Ridership; Transit operating agencies
• Geographic Terms: Virginia
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Passenger Transportation; Policy; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01988439
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Virginia Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 129149
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 30 2026 8:37AM