TEMPLE HILLS, Md. — Police say a person who jumped a fare at the Naylor Road Metro station ended up on the tracks, causing about a 30-minute delay Monday evening.
Metro Transit Police shared a photo of the person walking along the Green Line tracks on social media Monday night, apologizing for the delay. According to authorities, the person was apprehended and no injuries were reported.
This comes as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) officials are working to crack down on fare evasion across the transit system. Metro has been installing new taller fare gates in an effort to discourage the practice. Metro has said the new fare gates are working, dropping fare evasion by 70%, but WUSA9 caught plenty of Metro riders jumping the higher gates.
Recently DC Council stepped in to try to address the evasion issue. The Metro Safety Amendment Act of 2023, introduced by Councilmember Brooke Pinto, would require anyone stopped for fare evasion to provide their true name and address when stopped by a Metro Transit Police Officer. If the fare evader refuses, they could be detained and fined up to $100.
"This bill is seeking to give teeth to what civil enforcement means. We have a city of laws." Pinto who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety told reporters following the public hearing. She says her proposal addresses growing concerns over crime and Metro's $750 million shortfall.
Some pushed back against the proposed bill, raising concerns about its impact on the poor and young people.
WMATA says fare evasion happens 40,000 times every day within their system, which over a year, amounts to $40 million.