JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Despite cutting fares to try to drive up ridership, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority has seen lower year-over-year demand for its services two months into a fare-reduction pilot program, according to our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Ridership on fixed routes with reduced fares in the pilot fell in February and March 2026 by about 18.3% (27,042) and 10% (15,272), respectively, compared with the same periods in 2025, according to ridership data provided to the Daily Record.
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Rate cuts from the JTA on non-NAVI vehicles began Feb. 1, 2026. The reduced rates are scheduled to run through July 30. JTA cut rates as little as 6% to as much as 55%.
NAVI is JTA’s Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation service, which operates on a 3.5-mile route in Downtown, mostly along Bay Street.
NAVI fares were eliminated Dec. 15, cut from the $1.75 fare JTA had charged since Oct. 1, 2025. NAVI vans began service, initially without fares, in July 2025.
NAVI ridership has fluctuated since fares were eliminated. JTA reported 447 riders on NAVI in December, followed by 1,065, 1,385 and 1,075 riders in January, February and March, respectively.
In March, NAVI use averaged about 49 riders daily. JTA has pledged that by 2035, NAVI would average 280 riders daily.
Including showing a year-over-year drop, February and March 2026 non-NAVI ridership fell compared to almost all of 2025 data. February’s total ridership of 120,861 was lower than each of the 13 months before the fare-reduction pilot, while March’s total of 138,720 was lower than all months other than November and December 2025, and January 2026.
In explaining the pilot, JTA said it expected ridership to increase as a result of lower fares.
“Based on transit research and our own internal analysis, lowering fares typically encourages more people to ride,” the authority’s website states. “We expect to see returning riders who may have left during or after the pandemic, as well as new customers who find the reduced fares more affordable.”
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