More than 90 percent of 15M Valley Metro light rail riders pay fares

PHOENIX — More than 90 percent of people who rode the Valley Metro light rail last year paid the appropriate fare to ride, the agency said.

In an email, Valley Metro Communications Manager Susan Tierney said 92 percent of nearly 582,000 passengers screened by enforcement agents had paid their fare in fiscal year 2016.

About 52,000 people per day — or more than 15.5 million per year — rode the light rail during that span.

The average fare was 86 cents, meaning paying passengers added about $40,000 back into Valley Metro’s budget on a daily basis.

Math showed that those riders contribute about $14.6 million to keeping the light rail running.

Tierney said that figure accounted for about 38 percent of the light rail’s operating budget. The remainder was covered by other local and regional funding.

“Public transit is similar to fire, police, libraries, it’s a city service,” she told the Downtown Devil. “We don’t make money. We are here to serve the public.”

Unlike buses, where the driver ensures every passenger pays, those on the light rail are required to buy tickets at fare machines before boarding. Valley Metro agents and law enforcement conduct random checks to keep people honest.

Some of those who decided to skip the fare machine got a different sort of ticket from law enforcement — one that came with a fine. Tierney said 397 people who did not pay to ride were caught between July and September of 2016.

Fines were as low as $50 and as high as $400. The amount varied based on the number of fines the person had received.

“Typically, on their first offense, we feel like it’s best to engage the rider, and just educate them, and explain how to purchase a fare,” Tierney told the Devil.

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