STAR and the other transit advocacy organizations have long encouraged SacRT to implement low-income fares. SacRT currently offers half-off fares for disabled and seniors, but only offers regular full fares for low-income riders. There are some individuals who receive transit passes or tickets through social service agencies and nonprofits, but that number is small.
The two major transit providers in the state, LA Metro and member agencies, and the agency members of the Clipper Card, offer low-income fares.
Metro’s Low-income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program offers 20 free rides per month (which is not a lot, but is not nothing) for low-income riders, based on household income and size, though participation in various programs also qualifies (CalFresh, EBT, Medi-Cal, a reduced lunch program, SNAP, Social Security, Social Security Disability or TANF). Another 14 transit agencies within Los Angeles county also participate in the program, though the details vary with agency. The program requires the use of a TAP card, Metro’s transit card. Such transit cards are now called closed loop, because they are not the direct credit card payment systems now coming into use. SacRT’s Connect Transit Card is a closed-loop system. Stored value (pre-paid) or various passes may be added to a card. Adding money can be done by credit card, bank account via PayPal, or cash via PayNearMe. All of the 17 TAP agencies offer fare capping.
TAP cards can be added to phones and watches, and there is a separate TAP App.
Clipper Card’s START program offers half-off fares for low-income people across all 24 Bay Area transit agencies, including the major BART, Muni, VTA and AC Transit. Eligibility is based on household income and size. Details are similar to the Metro program. Stored value (pre-paid) or various passes may be added to a card. Adding money can be done by credit card, bank account via PayPal, or cash via PayNearMe. Clipper Card does not offer fare capping, however, there are free or discounted transfers between some of the agencies. A ‘Clipper 2.0’ update will offer number of rider benefits, including direct credit card payment through Cal-ITP (Integrated Travel Project) contactless payment, but it has been delayed.
San Diego MTS does not offer low-income fares at this time. They do offer Cal-ITP payment, Pronto transit card, an app, and fare capping for some types of payment.
Since several large transit agencies are included in the Metro LA County program, and in the Clipper Card Bay Area program, SacRT is the fourth largest transit agency fare program in the state, after Metro, Clipper, and San Diego.
SacRT does not have a low-income program. As part of the Smart Ride revision, it appears that SacRT is willing to consider low-income fares.
A program would likely require an account, through which eligibility and management would be administered. At this time, it appears that only Monterey/Salinas Transit has implemented reduced fares, for disabled and seniors, through the Cal-ITP compatible Tap2Ride. It does not offer low-income fares at this time, but if it did, they could be offered through Tap2Ride.
SacRT implemented a Cap-ITP contactless fare payment Tap2Ride program on light rail cars last year. However, it did not offer any discounts, nor fare capping, and the readers turned out to be unreliable. A new program will be implemented sometime next year.
Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) 
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