The regional agency is trying to patch its leaky fare income, as thousands of riders casually dodge the ticket price of $2.25 to $3.50. Instead of fare gates, the light rail network here uses a modified honor system plus occasional spot-checks by transit workers. Last year, agency staff estimated nearly half the riders weren’t paying.
Many people in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, who fork over hundreds of dollars yearly in car-tab, property and sales taxes toward light rail, have resented that many won’t chip in a couple bucks. Last year, fares reaped only $59.4 million, or 2.1% of Sound Transit’s total revenue to build and operate the country’s biggest transit expansion program.