Metro riders saw their fares rise by 10 cents this spring. Now they will see them rise again June 27, then likely change again on Aug. 1.
This fall, they will see tweaks to their SmarTrip cards, with new tools and weekly passes added. Come January, new Internal Revenue Service rules will take effect that will change their employee-sponsored SmartBenefits.
Metro plans to raise all fares to cover $108 million of an $189 gap in the budget that begins July 1. But the transit agency won’t be able to program all the machines and farecards to accept the changes at one time, so it plans at least two phases.
Metro board members said Thursday they worry riders may not know what to expect, especially as some of the changes will occur when locals are on vacation just before the July Fourth holiday and during August when Congress has its recess.
The agency had pushed the board to make fare decisions early as it said it needed extra time to avoid confusion, noted board member Christopher Zimmerman. But now, he said, “It seems that nonetheless we are going to have maximum confusion.”
Deputy General Manager Carol Dillon Kissal said the agency is working on a plan to advertise the changes with pamphlets, ads and signs. But she said she’s only 90 percent sure that the second round of changes will take effect on Aug. 1.
Metro’s Trip Planner tool at www.wmata.com can help riders puzzle out some of the changes:
» Enter a date before June 27 to see the current fares.
» Enter a date after June 27 to see the first round of changes, though as of Thursday, not all the second-round changes such as “peak of the peak” charges were online.
Confused as to how much the commute will cost? Just wait. The confusion will be compounded by complicated fare increases.
The first round would raise rail fares from the current minimum of $1.35 to $1.60 during off-peak times. Peak fares would start at $1.95 and increase with distance to $5. Bus fare will rise to $1.50. MetroAccess fares would also rise but stay capped at $7 per trip.
That’s just the start, though. Come August, the transit agency plans to charge 20 cents beyond rush hour rates to any riders entering the rail system during the “peak of the peak” times — 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Metro also would start charging an additional 25 cents on paper farecards and 20 cents extra for cash payments on buses to encourage SmarTrip use.
And it plans to add a 5-cent surcharge at some rail stations to help pay for improvements. The stations haven’t been chosen yet.
