Metro bus riders will pay a total of $5 per day, or $18 over seven days. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented fare capping on July 1, ushering in a new fare policy in which riders pay per ride with a TAP card until they reach a one-day fare cap of $5 or a seven-day fare cap of $18, after which they ride free for the remainder of the day or seven-day period.

The fare capping policy, which has undergone extensive evaluation and analysis and was approved by the Metro Board of Directors last December, aims to ensure Metro fares are simple, equitable and affordable for customers so that all riders with a TAP card can earn free rides.

Before fare capping, customers could save per ride by buying weekly or monthly passes that required them to pay large sums up front, which was a burden on lower income residents. With fare capping, riders load stored value (money) on their TAP card and pay as they go. The more that customers use Metro, the more money they will save.

Once customers reach the one-day or seven-day fare cap, they will not have to pay additional fares for the rest of the day or seven-day period. The new policy will make all Metro passes including the one-day, seven-day and 30-day passes unnecessary and they will be eliminated, making the fare structure simpler for customers to use.

Base fares for regular riders will remain at $1.75, while students in grades K-12 will have a base fare drop from $1 to 75¢, and college and vocational students will have fare drops from $1.75 to 75¢ to match fare discounts offered to seniors and disabled persons. All rides using TAP include two hours of one-way free transfers. Student fares will be capped at $2.50 per day and $6 over a seven-day period. The base fare for seniors and customers with disabilities will remain at 75¢ during peak hours and 35¢ during off-peak hours. The daily cap for seniors will remain at $2.50, and the seven-day cap will be $5. For information, visit metro.net/farecapping.