These cities are ending fares on transit. Here's why

More major cities in the United States are letting public transit riders hop on board for free.

Kansas City; Raleigh; Richmond; Olympia; Tucson; Alexandria, Virginia; and other cities are testing dropping fares on their transit systems. Denver is dropping fares across its system this summer. Boston is piloting three zero-fare public bus routes, and New York City is expected to test free buses on five lines.

Eliminating fares gives a badly needed boost to ridership, removes cost burdens- particularly for lower-income riders -- and reduces boarding times at stops. Proponents also hope it will compel more people to get out of their cars and ride transit. But many transit researchers, officials and advocates say that removing fares fails to address the dire state of transit systems across America and diverts scarce resources from more pressing priorities: transit service and quality.

"A very, very large proportion of residents feel that their lives are more convenient now that they don't have to ration trips," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who has championed free transit policies since she was a city councilor, told CNN. "We're seeing the difference that it makes when you remove financial barriers for everyone."

However, some experts say there are also targeted ways to help low-income riders afford trips without further straining transit agencies' funding models. They also say there are more effective policies to get people out of their cars and onto transit, such as congestion pricing and parking restrictions.

And dropping fares does not make buses run on time or lead to faster and cleaner trains. These are the improvements that will get more people to take transit instead of drive, according to passenger surveys.

TransitCenter, a transit advocacy group, found in a 2018 survey of riders with household incomes below $35,000 in eight major cities that frequency, safety, crowding and reliability were higher priorities than bus fare.