City News Brief
METRO Fare Deal Discount Ends September 30th
50% off discount contributes to increased ridership
Metro, along with transit partners Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit and South Portland Bus Service, has offered the Fare Deal promotion, a 50% discount on bus rides from March through September, as an incentive to bring back ridership that was lost during the pandemic. The Fare Deal has contributed to increased ridership.
In 2023, monthly ridership is up over 45% compared to 2022. Ridership in June and July was 88% and 83% of 2019 ridership, respectively, continuing the trend of strong recovery compared to previous years, especially since the start of the Fare Deal in March.
Ridership has been strong across all routes, says Metro. On Route 9 and the Husky Line, which typically see lower ridership in the summer months, ridership is up between 55% and 93% compared to July 2022. Both routes will see significant service changes later this month, which Metro projects will drive ridership even higher.
The Portland Metro fare for a one-way bus ride was $2 and is now $1. A reduced fare one-way bus ride was $1.00. It is now $.0.50. Find a full list of fare prices at https://gpmetro.org/154/Fare-Information.
