Metro officials say crime at historic low
DC Metro crime drops as fare evasion enforcement surges
WMATA officials say crime on DC Metro trains and buses dropped 61% per million rides in fiscal year 2026 compared to 2023. Much of that, they say, is thanks to a crackdown on fare evasion.
WASHINGTON - WMATA officials believe people should feel safe riding the Metro – and they’ve got the numbers to prove it.
What we know:
At a D.C. press conference Tuesday, WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke said that when he took the job four years ago, crime was the number one issue he was asked to focus on.
He added that major progress has been made in the years since.
Clarke told reporters that Part 1 Crimes – which include violent crimes like assault as well as robberies, larcenies, and motor vehicle thefts – were down 61 percent per million rides in fiscal year 2026 versus fiscal year 2023.
Among the reasons for the drop, according to officials, is fare enforcement.
Overall fare enforcement is up 908 percent in FY26 compared to FY23, Clarke said. On Metrobus alone, Clarke added that officers wrote more than 9600 fare evasion citations this past fiscal year, whereas they wrote just seven citations total in FY23.
What they're saying:
"I believe we are the safest transit system in the country, and I believe that because the facts are the facts," Clarke said Tuesday.
"We’ve got our officers at our fare gates and in buses," he said regarding the uptick in fare enforcement. "What that has allowed us to do is, one, ensure that we are collecting payment. Payment does help fund this system. We want to run better bus and rail service. To do that, we need the funding and to use our taxpayer dollars efficiently. But also, fare enforcement allows us to ensure that people that are riding the system are treating our community system with respect, following the riding rules, and if they have outstanding warrants or weapons, that we’re gonna prevent that from being on the system."