If the pilot program is successful, the fare-free program could become permanent. | Kool Cats Photography over 10 Million Views from Edmond, OK, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
The Oklahoma City streetcar, operated by EMBARK, will start offering free rides on January 5, with a pilot program approved to continue through July 5, 2026. As Steve Lackmeyer explains in The Oklahoman, the program could become permanent if successful.
According to Lackmeyer, “The latest fiscal year that ended on June 30 saw a new record high ridership on the streetcars totaling 288,517.” However, streetcar fares only account for less than 2 percent of annual operations costs, making going fare-free a relatively affordable experiment…