Sac RT Hopes Free Parking Entices More People To Ride

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Sacramento's Regional Transit District is trying something new in an effort to get more passengers.

Last year, the agency suffered a multimillion-dollar loss in fare revenue due to reduced ridership.

Now RT is considering offering free parking – which currently costs a dollar a day – at its park-pay-and-ride lots.

The move will cost RT more than $200,000 a year in parking revenue, but officials hope they will make most of that money back by increasing the number of paying passengers riding the rails.

"It actually really wasn't really coming out to that much money in the end," said Jessica Gonzalez with RT. "So when you break it down, we looked at it as let's do a better service for our riders and make this more convenient."

RT begin offering free parking at three pay lots on Tuesday.

District leaders will consider waiving fees at all others lots except Cosumnes River College at a meeting on Jan. 14.