Support Zero Fare Transit
The Transit Access Partnership (TAP) offers a way for the community to help keep Zero Fare transportation available to everyone. Through a partnership with RideFinders—a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliated with GRTC—your tax-deductible donation directly supports fare-free access to public transportation. Zero Fare service helps connect people to jobs, education, healthcare, and other essential destinations. GRTC is proud to be a national leader in providing Zero Fare transit to our community.
To make a donation to TAP, please make a check payable to RideFinders. Checks can be mailed or dropped off at RideFinders, 1013 E Main St., Richmond, VA 23219.
Why Zero Fare Matters
At GRTC, we believe that Zero Fare is essential to the greater Richmond region’s growth and prosperity. It ensures access to work, school, medical appointments and other necessities. While our Zero Fare service is currently supported by a state grant, we are looking for support from our community to maintain the program. Your tax-deductible donations – made possible through a partnership with RideFinders, a registered 501(c) 3 affiliated with GRTC – will help ensure that service remains Zero Fare. The Transit Access Partnership (TAP) program will allow GRTC to dedicate resources to other critical improvements, including route expansions, regional microtransit services, and rapid transit route expansions. These investments strengthen the entire region – whether you ride the bus or not. We welcome partners at all funding levels. In appreciation, TAP contributors will be recognized in creative ways, with recognition packages tailored to different levels of support.
Benefits
The Impact of Zero Fare
Ridership data, post-pandemic growth, and equity concerns all highlight the importance of GRTC’s Zero Fare program. The majority of GRTC riders are low-income and transit dependent. In fact, 74% of riders live in households earning less than $40,000 a year. Many rely on public transit for essential trips – getting to work, school, medical appointments, and other critical destinations they can’t afford to miss.
Overview & History
How Zero Fare Started
GRTC launched Zero Fare service in March 2020 as a safety measure during the COVID-19 pandemic—reducing close contact between bus operators and passengers at the farebox. What began as a public health response quickly became a vital service for the community.
In December 2021, GRTC received $8 million in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT) to study and sustain Zero Fare service. This state funding, along with local contributions from the City of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), has made it possible to continue providing fare-free transit for our riders.
Supported By Data
Supported By Data
- 21 percent of U.S. adults without access skipped needed medical care. Individuals with no car but access to transit were less likely to skip needed care (only 9%).
- 5 percent of All U.S. adults reported skipping healthcare due to transportation barriers.
- Black adults (8%), adults with low family incomes (14%), and adults with public health insurance (12%) were all more likely to forgo needed care due to difficulty finding transportation.
- Adults with a disability (17%) were more than three times as likely to report skipping care due to transportation concerns.
- Per the World Health Organization (WHO), car crashes are the leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds worldwide.
- Public transit users have “significantly higher levels of physical activity than drivers.”
- Transportation is also key for access to education – impacting what schools kids attend, whether they do extracurriculars, what jobs or internships they might have, and more. In Minneapolis, students with free transit access earned GPAs .28 higher than students without it.
- According to UCLA, taking public transportation reduces CO2 Emissions by 45% compared to driving alone, decreasing pollutants in the atmosphere, and improving air quality.
- Crude asthma-related death rates are 250% of the national average – and 480% higher for black residents. Limiting air pollution is a health and equity issue that fare-free transit is uniquely positioned to solve.
- Taking public transportation reduces CO2 per mile emissions by 45% or more compared to driving alone, more when riding a full bus
According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
- Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in economic returns.
- Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates approximately 50,000 jobs.
- Traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer per mile than traveling by automobile.
- The average car costs $13,000 to maintain – per capita income in Richmond is $38,132, meaning the average car costs more than a third of the average yearly income.