In a bid to attract riders to the streetcars that circulate through downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock, Rock Region Metro is eliminating fares again.
Ridership surged on the 14-year-old system when the $1 fare was eliminated in 2017, but none of the Pulaski County transit agency’s funding partners wanted to subsidize the free fares, and the promotion was dropped.
This time, agency officials wanted to try it out for a full year, beginning Dec. 21, in an effort to generate ridership and interest that could lead to expanding the streetcar system. The year-long promotion — executive director Charles Frazier calls it a pilot project — could be offset by additional advertising and some cost-cutting measures.
The transit board approved the pilot project Wednesday.