The bright green streetcar that connects much of ASU's campus and downtown Tempe will require a fare beginning Monday.
The regular fare for a single ride of 45 minutes will be $1 — or 50 cents for reduced fare riders. Children ages five and under can ride for free with a fare-paying caretaker or guardian.
The Valley Metro website states, "Revenue from fares helps support the operations of streetcar and providing reliable and efficient service."
Rides have been free since the streetcar's opening in May 2022, but according to Valley Metro spokesperson Renata Cló, implementing a fare has always been part of the plan for the streetcar project.
"Because we were already working on our fare collection system organization project from 2021 to 2024, the timeline for streetcar fare collection was changed to leverage this new system," Cló said.
Valley Metro introduced Smart Fare last year, which allows riders to pre-load funds on the Valley Metro app or a Copper card, and then use them to pay as they ride.
A rider must tap the card or scan the app before riding. Inside, purple scan stations are located in the streetcar. There are fare caps at $4 per day, $20 per week or $64 per calendar month for customers paying full fare on local buses, the light rail and now the streetcar.
Cló said an example of a day using Smart Fare would be spending $2 to board the light rail, then $1 to board the streetcar.
"At that point, you've spent $3, then when you board the light rail again, you would only pay another dollar, because you would have reached your $4 maximum," Cló said.
In addition, riders have the option to pay for a 45-minute, one-way ride at a fare machine located on one of the streetcar platforms, Cló said.
The University's U-Pass program will also continue for the upcoming academic year, a University spokesperson confirmed in an email. For $150, the U-Pass gives students unlimited rides on the Valley Metro light rail; streetcar; and local, express and RAPID buses. The passes are available for purchase online or at Parking and Transportation Services offices.
Cló said security guards who were already riding the streetcar to ensure rider safety will now be conducting random fare inspections and asking riders to show their fare.
The streetcar covers 14 stops on a three-mile route along Mill and Ash avenues. Katelyn Durham, a sophomore studying statistics, said via email that the streetcar made getting to classes across campus much easier last semester.
"I had no clue about the streetcar starting to charge people, I didn't even get an alert in the app," Durham said in an email. "I do not have a student u-pass and I might have to look into it because carrying my instrument to and from the herberger practice rooms is going to be quite difficult with the heat."
Signs at streetcar platforms and videos on Valley Metro's social media pages outline the fare policy change. The announcement was met with mixed reactions online. One TikTok detailing the policy garnered over 200 comments from community members, with some condemning the step away from free fare.
Cló said there is currently no plan to raise the streetcar rate above $1.
"Valley Metro has not increased fare since 2013," Cló said. "We want everyone to be able to access our transit system ... and have affordable options for all our riders."
Edited by Carsten Oyer, George Headley and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at spbracci@asu.edu and follow @SophiaBraccio on X.
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Sophia is a senior studying journalism and mass communication. This is her sixth semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Nomads with Notebooks and Blaze Radio and interned for The Arizona Republic.
