For immediate release: January 1, 2019

Metro’s improved ‘Rush Hour Promise’ begins tomorrow

With Metrorail on-time performance reaching a seven-year high in 2018, Metro is improving its Rush Hour Promise to customers in the New Year. Beginning tomorrow through June 30, Metro customers who experience a rush-hour delay of 10 minutes or more will receive a credit toward future travel, compared to 15 minutes today.

The improved service guarantee comes amid gains in reliability and customer confidence. Metrorail on-time performance in September reached the highest level in seven years – 90 percent – out of 13.1 million passenger trips taken, as a result of investments in new trains, expanded preventive maintenance and capital improvements. For the year, Metrorail’s on-time performance climbed to 87 percent, also the highest in the past seven years.

“Through our Rush Hour Promise, we want to demonstrate to customers that they can have confidence in Metro’s reliability,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld. “With a fleet of new railcars and vastly improved maintenance programs, we are now in a position to make an even stronger commitment to riders.”

Beginning with rush hour service on January 2, Metrorail or Metrobus customers using a registered SmarTrip card who experience a rush-hour delay of 10 minutes or more will receive a Metro credit for future travel.

Customers are encouraged to register their SmarTrip card to take advantage of the Rush Hour Promise program. On Metrorail, if a trip takes 10 minutes or longer than the expected travel time, a credit will be provided automatically to the customer’s SmarTrip card. On Metrobus, customers can request a credit through a simple online form.

Metro’s Board of Directors will determine whether to extend the program beyond June as part of the FY2020 budget.

Since its launch in January 2018, Metro customers have received approximately $1 million in credits for trips experiencing a delay greater than 15 minutes, representing 0.3 percent of all rush-hour trips. The expenditure is less than 50 percent of original projections.