If you ride a local METRO bus in Harris County it will most likely cost you $1.25, though there are also half-priced fares for students, seniors and people with disabilities. But what if you didn’t have to pay at all?
Tory Gattis from the Center for Opportunity Urbanism said he’s been encouraging METRO to take a fresh look at its fares.
“We have to wonder, if we were able to reduce or eliminate these fares, how many more riders would we get on these HOV buses and how much would this reduce congestion on the freeways,” he says.
Gattis, who also writes the transportation blog Houston Strategies, said the benefits would include reduced traffic congestion, increased air quality and faster travel times.
