Washington Metropolitian Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will lower the price of the SmarTrip card to $2 on Oct.1.
Riders can purchase SmarTrip cards at any Metro Sales Office and select Giant and Safeway grocery stores, according to a Sept. 19 WMATA press release. SmarTrip cards can also be bought at Metrorail station vending machines or at any CVS store for the regular price of $10 with a loaded value of $8 rather than the standard $5.
“The primary motivation for encouraging people to use SmarTrip cards is that it is faster, more secure and more convenient,” Caroline Lukas, media relations manager for WMATA, said in an email. “If you’ve ever had to wait behind a family of four trying to figure out the right way to insert paper farecards, you know what I mean.”
By eliminating paper farecards, Metro will save $2 million per year, she said.
Metro will also begin to implement a new payment method, where riders can use a chip-enabled credit card or a smartphone at the fare gate, according to the press release. An announcement will be made this year regarding the first phase of the payment system, Lukas said in an email.
Metro plans on implementing the new system within the next four years, according to The Washington Post.
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