The smaller passenger buses don't have change counters. So if I'm really broke or about to go cash my work check I'll try to catch one of those, and have gotten on for as little as $0.41. There were days I've been broke, having to ask for courtesy rides getting home from work near the port of Seattle, which is no longer a mandatory policy and is completely up to the drivers discretion. I would feel worse about having to do this except for a lot of times I just pay 2 $1 bills, and the black bus driver gives me a funny look, asks if I have the extra $0.25, and then 10 minutes later let droves of blacks on for free.
I try not to do that unless I absolutely have to, and if it's a payday I'll sometimes pay extra fare on the return trip. Normally the fare is $2.25-$2.50, depending on peak hours, and you get a transfer slip that's good for a few hours. We have a few express buses that don't accept transfers or give them so if you have to use 'em you'll end up paying over $5 for a trip one way.
The metro bus system in my area is all fuckered up. We agreed to a sales tax increase and higher car tabs so the bus system could be expanded 20% by 2016. Well it's 2014 and they are asking for more money. The crooked politicians screamed a bloody category 5 calamity would engulf the metro system if we didn't raise taxes yet again, and when that vote got shut down, they magically were able to find enough money to only cut the buses by about half of what they were threatening.
The politicians are robbing Washingtonian taxpayers blind. We privatized liquor sales, and the tax revenue was supposed to go towards law enforcement and alcohol abuse/education treatment. I-1183 was pretty clear on where the revenue was supposed to go. But somehow in 2012 when they were "balancing the budget" over 100 million of tax revenue from liquor sales was squandered into the state's financial black hole, aka the general fund.