standard fare

plural standard fares

1. countableliterallyThe usual price for travel by air, rail, or another means of transport.

   Passengers on this nineteen-hour train will have to pay $5 more than the standard fare to Chicago, which on the Vanderbilt system is $20.

   1893 March 31, “A Fast Train to Chicago”, in New York Times, page 3

2. IrelandUKbroadlycountableThe price charged to passengers who travel without buying tickets in advance on certain public transport systems (especially British bus and tram systems) (compare penalty fare).

   Anyone found travelling without a valid ticket will be issued with a standard fare of £100 which must be paid within 21 days. This charge will be reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.

   2011, “Standard Fare”, in Transport for Greater Manchester

3. literallyuncountableMenu items or dining options which are regularly available in a restaurant or other place where food is served.

   They will not be eating tandoori chicken, lamb curry, nan or other standard fare, but exotic foods spiced with cinnamon, tamarind and pepper.

   1990 October 21, Julie Sahni, “FARE OF THE COUNTRY: South India's Regional Cuisines”, in New York Times

4. broadlyidiomaticuncountableSomething which is normal, routine, or unexceptional; something which is commonly provided or encountered.

   The black keyboard bundled with the system is standard fare.

   2008 August 29, Brain Neal, “Review: HP Compaq Presario SR5610F”, in PC Magazine, retrieved 18 Sep 2008

   4 more examples

   More than any other man, slim, wiry Bob Olds made Flying Fortress a household phrase before Pearl Harbor. . . . Photogenic as a Hollywood ace, he and his B-17s became standard fare in newsreels.

   1943 April 26, “D.S.M to Olds”, in Time

   What makes Lovett intriguing is a grasp of emotional conflict that goes far beyond Nashville's standard fare.

   1986 February 9, Rodney Crowell, “Album Reviews: Lyle Lovett & His Large Band”, in Rolling Stone, retrieved 18 Sep 2008

   Echoing the rhapsodic prog-rock vibes of Pink Floyd circa ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, the new track marks an ambitious step into uncharted territory for Coldplay, though not eschewing too far from the alt-rockers’ standard fare.

   2021 July 23, Ellie Robinson, “Coldplay shoot for the stars with their cinematic new track ‘Coloratura’”, in NME

   This is pretty standard fare in Silicon Valley—Steve Jobs didn’t invent the iPod, Elon Musk didn’t design the first Tesla—but there’s usually a moment when the “founder” comes up with some innovation or solution that transforms an idea into a gigantic, distinct, and scalable business.

   2023 May 9, Jay Caspian Kang, “Tony Hsieh and the Emptiness of the Tech-Mogul Myth”, in The New Yorker