Help with Metro Access

Na-update: 5/16/2026

Metro Access  is a door-to-door shared-ride paratransit service. If you’re eligible, you can use Metro Access to travel from your front door to most places that are near a Metro rail station or bus stop.

Metro Access cannot accommodate requests for any specific vehicle type. We need the flexibility to use any Metro Access vehicle throughout the service area and assign vehicles according to operational need, not preference.

Eligible locations

Metro Access provides paratransit service to locations within 3/4 mile of fixed-route transit services such as Metro Bus and Metro Rail during the same hours that fixed-route services are available.

Please check with a Metro Access reservations agent at 301-562-5360 to verify if your destination is in the service area. 

Metro Access is not a substitute for an ambulance. If you have an emergency, please call 911.

Riders who need assistance

Drivers may carry a limited amount of packages for the customer. Packages are not to exceed 40 pounds and should be able to be transported in a single trip to the exterior door.

No, drivers cannot make stops between trips. For the safety of the drivers and customers, personal stops are not allowed. If you request to leave the vehicle before reaching your scheduled destination, your trip will end at that location.  

No, drivers cannot fix mobility devices. Customers are responsible to ensure brakes, batteries, and other parts of their mobility devices are in good working condition. 

All customers have the right to travel with a personal care assistant (PCA) and should indicate their intent to do so when making a reservation. Some people have a level of disability that necessitates their use of a PCA. Customers who cannot travel safely or comfortably without being accompanied by or met by a PCA must understand that Metro Access drivers cannot fulfill PCA duties. Some duties that may be performed by a PCA but not by a Metro Access driver include and are not limited to:

  • Assisting a customer in removing a jacket.
  • Repositioning a customer in a wheelchair.
  • Providing physical support for a customer to walk between the vehicle and the outermost exterior door of the pick-up or destination.
  • Assisting a customer with changing oxygen canisters.
  • Traveling with or meeting a customer who cannot be left unattended at the destination.
  • Traveling with customers who cannot be left unattended for a brief time on a Metro Access vehicle without risk to themselves or others.
  • Assisting a customer who travels with a service animal but cannot board or disembark that animal from the vehicle without assistance.
  • Unlocking and/or opening the door to a customer's private residence.
  • Assisting a customer using a wheelchair in navigating up or down any steps or curbs to or from the Metro Access vehicle.
  • Operating the controls of an electronically operated mobility device.

Recognize your driver

Drivers must be in uniform with their ID card visible.

If you ever have doubt about your driver's identity, call Metro Access at 301-562-5360 and select option 2 to speak with a dispatcher (TTY 301-588-7535).

Pickup window and wait time

  • If a driver arrives before the pickup window begins, the driver is only required to wait 5 minutes into the pickup window.
  • Example:
    • Pickup window: 7:45-8:15 am
    • If the driver arrives at 7:45 am or earlier, customers must present themselves for boarding by 7:50 am.
  • Customers are not required to board the vehicle until the pickup window begins, but they may board early if they choose.
  • Customers should be present at the outermost exterior door and ready to board the vehicle when the pickup window begins.

Arrival and boarding procedures

Upon arriving at the pickup location, drivers will knock on the outermost exterior door and identify themselves as “Metro Access.”

Customers must:

  • Display a valid Metro Access ID card.
  • Pay the exact fare before boarding the vehicle.

Driver access rules:

  • At public entrances, drivers may open the first exterior door to announce their arrival but may not enter the building.
  • If there is a second door that leads to a waiting area, drivers may open that door to announce their arrival but will not proceed into the waiting area.
  • Drivers are not permitted to open doors at private locations or residences.

Automated arrival calls

  • In many cases, an automated call announcing the vehicle’s arrival may be placed to a phone number selected by the customer.
  • Automated calls cannot be guaranteed for all trips.

Paying for Metro Access

Fare calculation

  • Metro Access fares are based on the distance traveled and the time of day.
  • The fare is twice the cost of the fastest comparable trip on fixed-route transit services, such as Metro Bus or Metro Rail, up to a maximum fare of $6.50.

Fare information when booking

  • Customers are informed of the exact fare when booking a trip online or with a Metro Access reservations agent.
  • The scheduling system automatically searches within 30 minutes of the originally requested travel time, including:
    • 15 minutes before
    • 15 minutes after
  • The system provides the lowest fare available within that time range.
  • When booking online, the system displays the lowest fare using the same parameters.

Paying the fare

  • The exact fare must be paid in cash before boarding.
  • To save time and avoid inconvenience, customers are encouraged to prepay for trips by phone or online using a credit or debit card through Metro Access EZ-Pay. 

Instant Access 

Instant Access is the Metro Access automated telephone service that allows riders to confirm or cancel Metro Access trips and access customer account information using the keypad on any touch-tone telephone. The system is available 24 hours a day at 301-562-5360 (TTY 301-588-7535).

  • Press option 3 to confirm or cancel a trip.
  • Press option 6 to access customer account information.

Use your Metro Access ID number as your user name and your birth date (mm/dd/yyyy) as your password. For example, July 2, 1983, would be entered as 07021983.

Accessibility Travel Training 

Training can be provided on using specific routes, stops, and stations.

Grandfathered service area 

The Metro Access service area changed on July 1, 2010, to provide paratransit service to locations within three-quarters of a mile of fixed-route transit services, such as Metro Bus and Metro Rail, during the same hours those fixed-route services operate.

To continue providing the same level of service to customers who traveled outside the ADA service area or hours between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, Metro’s Board of Directors adopted a grandfathering provision that allows those customers to continue making those trips.

To qualify for grandfathered status, customers must have traveled outside the ADA service area or outside ADA service hours between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010. To verify your status, contact a Metro Access reservations agent at 301-562-5360. All grandfathered trips outside the service area are subject to a supplemental fare, up to a maximum of $6.50.

Grandfathered customers can move to a new home address and remain grandfathered, but those not grandfathered cannot become grandfathered - whether they've moved or just started needing out-of-corridor service. 

Ride for free on Metro and regional transit

Metro Access customers who are conditionally eligible and show a valid white Metro Access ID, along with one companion, may ride for free on Metro Rail, Metro Bus, and the following regional transit providers:

  • Arlington County ART
  • Arlington STAR
  • City of Fairfax CUE Bus
  • Fairfax Connector
  • Montgomery County Ride On
  • Prince George's County TheBus

You do not need to schedule rides in advance when using these transit systems, which gives you the flexibility to travel independently and spontaneously. Using these services does not affect your eligibility to use Metro Access.

People with disabilities who are not certified Metro Access customers and who travel on Metro’s fully accessible bus and rail system can take advantage of Metro’s reduced fare program.

Obtaining Metro Access Trip History

Metro Access customers can request a history of trips that they have taken during a specific time period. A trip history provides customers with the date, origin, destination and fare of all trips taken during the requested time period. To protect the privacy of our customer, trip history requests must be submitted in writing by the customer and will only be mailed to the customer's address. A trip history will not be sent by Metro to an agency or anyone requesting a trip history on behalf of the customer.

Customers can also generate a trip history online by accessing their account via the standard web booking site.

Please call 202-962-2700 and select option 3 with questions regarding Metro Access trip history requests.

Resetting your Metro Access EZ-Pay or Instant Access Password

  • Call 202-962-2700, and select option 8

Updating Addresses and Phone Numbers on your Metro Access Account

Metro Access customers can request contact information updates to their account by: