Metro News Release
For immediate release: June 25, 2010
Fare adjustments take effect Sunday
First phase of adjustments in place
In response to customer comments to avoid service cuts, Metro’s Board of Directors recently approved a balanced budget for FY2011 that includes a number of steps to maintain Metro’s current service levels, including higher contributions from the local jurisdictions that fund Metro, the borrowing of some capital funds for preventive maintenance and increasing fares on Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess.
The fare increases will take effect in two phases, the first on June 27 and the second on August 1.
Phase 1: June 27
Metrorail Fare Changes
Metrorail fares will increase by approximately 18 percent. The new regular base boarding fare will be $1.95. For example, a Metrorail trip from Twinbrook to Union Station during the morning weekday commute costs $4.30 today. After June 27, the cost will be $4.90.
The increase in Metrorail pass prices will mirror the fare increase. But even with its new cost, a pass will save customers money. If a customer commutes each weekday from Twinbrook to Union Station, the cost for 10 trips when paying regular fares will be $49. But with a Weekly Fast Pass, the maximum cost will be $45. And any trips beyond that will be free.
| Metrorail Passes | Price |
| One Day Pass | $9 |
| Weekly Short Trip Pass | $30.35* |
| Weekly Fast Pass | $45* |
| SmartStudent Pass | $30 |
| Transit Link Card (MARC and VRE) | $92* |
| D.C. Student 10-trip Farecards | $9.50 |
Elderly and disabled Metrorail fares will increase to 50 percent of the regular (peak) fares, including any applicable surcharges and differentials for all trips taken.
Metro will continue to provide late-night Metrorail service on weekends, however riders will be charged peak fare from midnight until closing on Friday and Saturday nights.
Metrobus Fare Changes
The new fare on a regular Metrobus will be $1.50 when paid with a SmarTrip® card or $1.70 when paid with cash. The new fare on an express bus will be $3.65 when paid with a SmarTrip® card or $3.85 when paid with cash. Even with the increase in the cost of a Metrobus weekly pass (from $11 to $15), customers begin saving after taking only 10 trips. And the Weekly Bus Pass allows unlimited travel on Metrobus for seven days.
| Metrobus Passes | Price |
| Weekly Flash Pass | $15 |
| Tokens (10 pack) | $17 |
| D.C. Student Tokens | $7.50 |
| Weekly Senior Flash Pass | $7.50 |
| Weekly Disabled Flash Pass | $7.50 |
The new fare on Metrobus 5A to Dulles International Airport and Metrobus B30 to Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will be $6.
Elderly and disabled Metrobus fares will increase to 50 percent of the boarding charge, including any applicable surcharges and differentials for all trips taken. The boarding charge for elderly and disabled on express buses and the airport shuttles will be $1.80, exclusive of surcharges.
MetroAccess Fare Changes
The MetroAccess base fare will increase from $2.50 to $3, with an additional $2 to $4 supplemental charge for MetroAccess passengers who begin or end their trips more than 3/4 miles from Metro fixed route service, which is the service corridor requirement laid out in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The maximum fare for MetroAccess service will be limited to $7.
Other Changes
In addition to the fare changes, several other changes will take place. The transfer window will be reduced from three to two hours. This applies to bus-to-bus, rail-to-bus and bus-to-rail transfers. For the first time in 32 years, the annual bike locker fee will increase. A reserved, secure place to store a bicycle will be only $200 per year (55 cents a day). And the reserved monthly parking fee will be $65.
Phase 2: August 1
On August 1, Metro will implement a new 20-cent surcharge during peak-of-the-peak travel periods (weekdays 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m., based on the starting time of the trip). This will not only generate vital funding, it will encourage customers who have the flexibility to ride during less crowded times, alleviating congestion during the peak periods.
Metrorail customers who use a SmarTrip® card instead of a paper fare card will save 25 cents per trip, enjoying the same convenience and savings of SmarTrip® as Metrobus riders
In addition, the cost of a SmarTrip® card will be reduced by 50 percent, to $2.50, to make it easier for customers to take advantage of the SmarTrip® discount. This marks the first reduction in the price of the cards since SmarTrip® was first introduced in 1999.
The cost of three Metrorail passes will increase. The Weekly Short Trip Pass will be $32.35, the Weekly Fast Pass will be $47 and the Transit Link Card for MARC and VRE riders will be $102.
###
News release issued at 3:33 pm, June 25, 2010.