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Metro police announce 51 arrests, 807 citations in bus fare evasion crackdown

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In the first 10 days of its crackdown on Metrobus fare evasion, Metro Transit Police issued 807 citations and made 51 arrests, officials said.

Metro launched the “Fares Pay for Service” campaign on May 24 in an effort to deter people from boarding its buses without paying.

About 70% of Metrobus riders skip the fares, Metro said.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke previously said that without the campaign to prevent fare evasion, Metro would lose out on an estimated $50 million in revenue this year.

The effort to get people to pay for rides has included instructing bus operators to remind riders the fare is $2.25. Reduced fares are available for seniors, students, riders with disabilities and people eligible for SNAP benefits.

Metro Transit Police, not drivers, will take action if riders do not pay, Clarke said.

“People will pay the fare, or they will be taken off the bus. If they refuse to comply with the officer, they will be arrested. They’re not going to be arrested for fare evasion. They’re going to be arrested for failure to comply or other things,” Clarke said.

Bus in deadly Stafford Co. crash traveled nearly half a mile after initial impact, report finds

The charter bus that rammed into cars on Interstate 95 in Virginia, leading to a multivehicle crash in late May that killed five people and injured dozens, traveled almost half a mile after initially striking vehicles that were backed up in traffic before coming to rest, according to a new report. In its preliminary report on the May 29 crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said the bus, operated by E&P Travel Inc. and driven by 48-year-old Jing Dong, struck two cars at the end of a traffic jam on I-95 in Stafford County just after 2:30 a.m. The bus then, according to the report, continued into traffic for about .44 miles, leading to the involvement of eight additional vehicles in the crash.
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