Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Metro riders need to start carrying cash or keeping enough money on their cards to get them where they’re going.
Now Metro riders can swipe out of a Metro station with a negative balance of up to 25 cents on their SmarTrip cards, but starting January 8, Metro will not allow that. Riders who don’t have enough on their cards to pay their entire fare will need to pay the balance at Exit Fare machines, which only accept cash. Another option is registering your SmarTrip card online and signing up for Auto Reload, which automatically puts more money on a card anytime the value drops below $10.
While this will likely be inconvenient for riders, it will help Metro’s bottom line. Unpaid negative balances cost the transit agency $25 million over the last 17 years according to spokesperson Sherri Ly.
“In an environment where every dollar counts, we need to make sure that we are properly collecting the value of the transportation that’s being provided at the time it is provided,” said Ly.
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com . All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Heather Curtis/WMAL)
