Metro wasn’t alone in its underestimation of the throngs of people that would descend upon D.C. for the Saturday rally with Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to last weekend’s rallies on the National Mall, many more than for the Aug. 28 competing rallies by conservative commentator Glenn Beck and activist Al Sharpton, according to most accounts.
But unlike political events, entertainment event planners often pay for the cost of expanded Metro service, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. The Redskins have paid for Metro to stay open late for night games, and the Marine Corps Marathon paid Sunday for Metro to open one hour early.
Taubenkibel said Comedy Central opted not to pay for early service.
Frank DeBernardo, chairman of the Metro Riders Advisory Council, said Metro should have been better prepared but also admonished the television network.
“They are a media giant — they’re not a political nonprofit organization,” he said. “Planning could have been better on their part as well. And they should have been responsible for putting up some money to pay for extra services.”
