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3.2. Fare Structure Options Forum Representatives were asked to consider two opportunities for simplifying the regional fare structure as well as one fare innovation idea.The options and resulting recommendations are summarized in the following subsections. 3.2.1.Eliminate Zones Currently, Community Transit, King County Metro, and Sound Transit all have routes with zone-based pricing. Passengers are charged based upon the zone associated to their route, with multi-zone routes having higher fares.The zone boundaries differ for each of the three agencies. While it is possible for passengers to make a one zone or local trip on a multi-zone route, if they want to pay the lower fare, in most cases passengers must ask the operator to override the higher fare. Forum participants were asked to consider simplifying the fare structure by eliminating zone fares. Recommendation: Eliminate Zones The consensus recommendation was to eliminate zone-based fares. In addition to a simplified Next Generation ORCA design and reduced system development time and costs,the operational benefits from eliminating zones include reduced customer confusion, fewer operator interactions regarding fares, and improved boarding times. Revenue impacts are expected to be relatively minimal, but will vary for impacted agencies. 3.2.2.Eliminate Trip-Based Peak Fares Currently, King County Metro charges a higher fare on adult trips scheduled to arrive or depart downtown Seattle during peak hours (6-9 AM and 3-6 PM on non-holiday weekdays). Higher peak fares are intended to reflect the higher cost of peak service and to provide a price incentive for passengers to travel during off-peak periods. Metro's "trip-based" peak fare assigns a higher fare to a specific scheduled trip and applies that fare to all passengers on the trip, regardless of the actual time they board the bus. For example, if a trip is designated as a "peak hour trip," all passengers on that trip pay the higher fare whether they board and pay at 5:44 AM or 6:30 AM. Forum participants were asked to consider simplifying the fare structure by eliminating trip-based peak fares. Participants additionally discussed an option to include within the Next Generation ORCA design only"time-based" peak fares—fares based solely on the actual time of day when a customer boards or a fare is paid.Time-based peak fares are currently used for off-board fare payment on King County Metro, such as at RapidRide stations. Recommendation: Eliminate Trip-Based Peak Fares The consensus recommendation was to eliminate trip-based peak fares, but build time-based peak fares into Next Generation ORCA system capabilities.The primary benefits to adopting time-based peak fares are a simplified Next Generation ORCA design and reduced system development costs, in addition to making fare payment more consistent across regional modes and easier for customers to understand. Regional Fare Forum Summary Report 3/21/2017 Page 1 4