Metro riders could still be allowed to exit the Metrorail system with a negative balance on their SmarTrip, despite an announcement made late last month by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that said negative balances would soon no longer be allowed.
WMATA recently approved the decision to reduce the cost of SmarTrip cards from $5 to $2.50, which will decrease WMATA’s overall revenue and force it to look at different options for offsetting this measure, according to a WMATA spokesperson.
Solutions presented at a Metro board meeting included allowing a maximum negative card value of $2.50 or simply continuing to allow riders to go into any negative balance, according to the meeting minutes. Allowing riders to exit the system with negative balances would eliminate the costs of installing new exit fare machines.
WMATA is also considering several options to reduce the impact of another issue arising from the SmarTrip price drop.
The lower price could give riders more incentive to buy a card for $2.50, take a $6.00 ride and throw the card away, thus only paying $2.50 for the more expensive ride, according to Public Affairs Officer Reggie Woodruff.
The alternatives presented at board discussions include: requiring riders to have a minimum value on their SmarTrip card before entering the system, rewarding cardholders with a $2.50 rebate after they have purchased a $5 card and used it for two one-way trips or simply scrapping the $2.50 price drop, according to the minutes from WMATA’s Sept. 1 Riders’ Advisory Council meeting.
“We expect to have a plan in place this fall,” said Cathy Asato, WMATA information specialist.
The Riders’ Advisory Council will present these options to the board at a meeting next week.
“We want people to use SmarTrip cards and believe there are many benefits to doing so,” Woodruff said. “We are making it more feasible.”
ascalamogna@theeagleonline.com
