GoCary, GoDurham, GoRaleigh and GoTriangle have announced that they will continue to suspend bus fares through June 30, 2023.
The transit agencies suspended fares in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked riders to use the rear door to board buses to help maintain social distancing. We also sought to ease financial burdens for the frontline workers and community members who were relying on transit to get to critical jobs or food and health care.
Because our transit agencies are committed to the safety of passengers and employees, we have decided not to include any fare revenue in the budgets prepared for fiscal year 2023, which starts July 1, 2022 and runs through June 30, 2023. The agencies will continue to follow all CDC and FTA safety guidelines.
The agencies will use money from the federal CARES Act to help offset the loss of fare revenue. In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration allocated $25 billion in federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to help the nation’s public transportation systems respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.