Jacob Wasserman, a research project manager at the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, commented in a Washington Post story on bus fare evasion on the D.C. Metro system and what public officials are doing to address the cost of unpaid rides. Transit systems nationwide are considering the pros and cons of imposing measures to reduce nonpayment rates, including stopping collection fares. In the D.C. Metro region, unpaid fairs represent nearly 70% of ridership, according to the story. A new plan under consideration by D.C. Metro would reduce contributions from jurisdictions based on the amount paying riders contribute. “Bus operators have really mixed feelings,” Wasserman said. “Some don’t like fares because it often escalates into confrontations. On the other hand, fares are one of the few levers they have to control who is on their bus. It’s a complicated issue.”