Fare vs Fee | What’s The Difference?

What’s the difference between “fare” and “fee”? Here are some simple definitions with examples:

What is a fare?

A “fare” is the money you have to pay when you travel by bus, airplane, train, boat, taxi, etc.  Buses, airplanes,  trains, boats, and taxis are all examples of public transportation.

Here are some example sentences:

• Bus fares went up again.
• The fare to Sydney is $50.
• I don’t think we can afford the taxi fare to New York.
• The website has a fare calculator to check how much the trip will cost.

What is a fee?

1. The money you have to pay for a service (e.g., service fee).
2. The money you have to pay for someone giving you professional advice (e.g., legal fees).
3. The money you have to pay to join an institution (e.g., a subscription fee).
4. The money you have to pay regularly to continue using a service (e.g., tuition fees).

  Here are some example sentences: 

• Last year, Sarah spent over $2000 on legal fees.
• Fortunately, her insurance covered the doctor’s fee.
• The museum charges an admission fee.
• Tuition fees at my son’s university are too high.

Conclusion

A “Fare” is the money you have to pay when you travel by public transportation. A “fee” is the money you have to pay for a service, subscription, membership, or someone’s advice.