WMATA is preparing a major crackdown on fare evasion aboard Metrobus vehicles across the D.C. region, saying nearly 70% of riders are not paying and the problem is costing the transit system $50 million a year. The new enforcement and awareness campaign is set to ramp up after the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Metro General Manager Randy Clarke called the situation “completely unacceptable” as the transit agency said it now has one of the highest bus fare evasion rates among major transit systems in the country. Clarke said the agency will increase the visibility of Metro Transit Police officers on buses and throughout the system, while bus operators will begin reminding riders as they board: “The fare is $2.25.”

Clarke said operators are not supposed to tell riders to get off the bus, and Metro officials said bus drivers will not be responsible for enforcement. Transit police officers will handle fare enforcement efforts. The move comes after years in which WMATA has tried to stop riders from skipping fares through hardware as well as messaging, including taller rail faregates at all 98 Metrorail stations and new fareboxes on about 1,500 Metro buses.

Those rail gate upgrades worked. Metro said the changes cut rail fare evasion by more than 80%, but the bus side has proven harder to control. Clarke said part of the problem is inconsistent fare policy across the region, where free local bus systems operate alongside Metrobus routes that still require payment. “It is more than just confusion and education, where one agency says free fare is good and one agency at the same bus bay is charging a fare,” he said.

The union that represents Metrobus drivers is pushing back. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 said verbal fare reminders could escalate into confrontations with riders, and union leaders said bus operators have previously been assaulted during fare disputes even with protective barriers installed around driver seats. Metro said overall crime on buses has declined, but the agency is betting that police visibility and a more direct message at the door will reduce the amount of money slipping away at the farebox.

The crackdown also fits into a broader push by WMATA to improve reliability, safety and ridership without raising fares. For Clarke, the test is immediate: if riders hear the price at the door and still board without paying, Metro will have to show it can enforce the rule it says is already costing the system tens of millions of dollars a year.