LESSONS FROM THE BROOME COUNTY DISTANCE-BASED FARE DEMONSTRATION: EFFECTS OF ZONE FARES AND OFF-PEAK DISCOUNTS ON RIDERSHIP, REVENUE, PAST SALES, AND PUBLIC OPINION

The Broome County, New York, Department of Public Transportation was the test site for an UMTA-sponsored demonstration of distance-based fares over the period 1986 through 1988. Binghamton is the major city in Broome County. The service area also includes the cities of Endicott and Johnson City and the Town of Vestal. Over the demonstration period, two fare changes were put in place. An interim fare structure was in effect in Calendar Year 1987 that featured half-fares for all riders in the off-peak period. A fare increase including the introduction of zone fares was implemented in January 1988. The full range of demonstration activity is discussed--off-peak fare reduction, introduction of zone changes, effect on pass sales, driver reaction, public reaction, and effect on university student ridership. The events of the demonstration are so intertwined that it is difficult to separate one topic from the other and still have a meaningful discussion. The impact of each element, therefore, is discussed as it relates to the whole. The demonstration showed that zone fares can be introduced effectively in a small transit system such as Broome County Transit. However, revenue effects are small. Whether or not to adopt zone fares should depend primarily on a system's policy regarding fare differentiation.