AK: Assembly members push to establish free Anchorage bus fares for older adults on Fridays
Anchorage residents age 60 and older may soon have access to free bus fares on the People Mover system two days of the week.
The Anchorage Assembly introduced an ordinance on Jan. 13 to allow these older adults to ride the bus for free on Fridays, in addition to the existing free fares that have been offered on Wednesdays for more than a decade. Members Erin Baldwin Day, Daniel Volland and George Martinez sponsored the bill, which is scheduled for a public hearing on Jan. 27.
More than 20% of Anchorage bus riders are over the age of 60, according to a 2024 Public Transportation Department survey. These Anchorage residents are eligible to ride People Mover at a discounted half-fare rate of $1 for one bus ride and $2.50 for a day pass.
During its review of the municipality's 2026 operating budget in November, the Assembly approved an amendment that created a recurring $100,000 budget increase for the Public Transportation Department to cover an additional free-fare day. By potentially adding another day for these adults, sponsors of the bill hope to help residents "safely and reliably reach medical appointments, grocery stores, workplaces and social activities," the ordinance states.
When the conversation first started, Public Transportation Director Bart Rudolph said, it centered on allowing older adults to ride free seven days a week. But that would have left a significant gap in the department's budget, he said.
"Recognizing that's probably not an option right now, given the fiscal cliff that the mayor talks about, we're glad that we can make these tiny steps to help reduce the barriers of transportation to the people that need it," Rudolph said.
Baldwin Day said she supported the budget amendment because she wants to understand if another fare-free day influences how many residents choose to take AnchorRides, a door-to-door service for older adults and people with disabilities offered by the municipality.
Anytime someone chooses to take the bus instead of AnchorRides, there are significant cost savings, Rudolph said. Each AnchorRides trip costs the municipality roughly $27. Residents request about 14,000 AnchorRides trips per month.
The proposal for fare-free Fridays joins other recent initiatives led by the municipality to improve both access and security on Anchorage's public transit system, used by roughly 12,000 passengers each weekday.
The Assembly voted to make bus fares permanently free for youths 18 years old and younger in June of last year.
In November, the city renewed a contract to keep unarmed guards on the People Mover bus system through 2027, after bus riders reported feeling safer with transit security on board. Starting this month, Anchorage bus riders can download a "Transit Watch" app on their smartphones to report safety issues on board or at bus stops.
With the app, passengers can use a direct call button or anonymously send photos and messages to report safety or ride "quality" concerns, such as noise complaints and maintenance issues. All reports flow to the People Mover dispatch center and are monitored in real time, according to a Monday statement. Dispatchers will then provide "immediate" responses and communicate directly with bus drivers, security guards and police, if needed.
The Public Transportation Department will begin phasing out its "See it, Text it" incident reporting system, which has been in place since 2020. The municipality will monitor the chat line until Feb. 13.
"Transit Watch replaces outdated tools with a modern way for riders to report safety concerns in real time," Rudolph said in the statement. "It gives us better information, faster response, and a clearer picture of what's happening on our system."
[Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the sponsors of the Assembly bill for free-fares on Fridays. They are Assembly members Erin Baldwin Day, Daniel Volland and George Martinez.]
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