City councilors debate Pullman Transit fare

City councilors showed they felt positive toward adopting a fare policy for Pullman Transit during a public hearing held at Tuesday’s regular Pullman City Council meeting.

The council did not take any action on this item, and Pullman Transit will compose a resolution adopting a formal transit fare policy to be presented to the council in September.

Pullman Transit Manager Wayne Thompson said Pullman has a transit fare structure but there is no fare policy. Historically, the transportation service has rarely changed its structure — it only presented the council with a resolution to increase fares in 1999, 2017 and 2019.

Thompson said this policy would acknowledge local responsibility, contribute to the operational costs of the system and identify a strategy to keep the service affordable. He added the policy seeks to balance identifying and accepting local responsibilities to help fund the system in an affordable way.

Pullman Transit’s annual operating budget is $5 million; 20% to 25% of their budget is funded by utility tax. Local grants like Washington State University’s full service and full contract fund 50% of their budget, and state and federal grants make up the rest of funding. WSU charges students a mandatory transportation fee each year to cover Pullman Transit usage.

Thompson said funding the system entirely through farebox recovery is “simply impractical.” Farebox recovery is funding at the door from tokens, passes or fares from patrons who choose to ride. The transit service collected $40,000 from passes, tokens and fares in 2019. He added the largest systems in Washington may charge $3 or more at the door, but those systems still rely on a fairly substantial local tax base and sales taxes.

Currently, the Pullman system charges a cash fare of $1 for adults; 60 cents for disabled, senior and youth passengers; 80 cents for Dial-A-Ride passengers; and WSU students, staff and faculty can ride by presenting their WSU identification.

The timing of this policy could take advantage of a funding opportunity through state monies. Thompson said the latest legislature passed a budget including a grant program and transit support grant. This grant would provide the transportation service with $160,000 this year and $433,000 annually after 2022, according to Thompson. To qualify for this grant, Pullman Transit would need to have a fare-free policy for youths, where passengers ages 18 and younger ride free, by the end of September, he added.

Councilor Eileen Macoll said the fare-free program the state legislature has been working on is a fantastic program. She said she is happy Pullman can be a part of it, it will be easy for the city to adopt and it is wonderful for younger demographics.

“I feel very positive that this gets a certain demographic establishing life habits around public transit,” Macoll said. “I think that in the long run, (this) will benefit all of us and this is a huge step in that direction. It’ll get people moving around in our community and that’s absolutely fantastic.”

Ann Parks said this will allow young people to access recreation and food service programs. She added that it’s a good thing for Pullman’s families.

Mayor Glenn Johnson said he rode the Santa Monica bus lines every single day when he went to UCLA, and rode the bus to Pullman when he first came to town. He asked Thompson to come back with this policy so the council can approve and receive more funding for transportation systems in Pullman.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.