Speak Out: How Will Metro's Rate Hike Affect You?
Board votes to eliminate 'peak of the peak' surcharge at Thursday meeting, but moves forward on other increases
Metro riders will pay at least $0.10 more per off-peak ride — and up to $.75 more during peak hours — in a fare adjustment passed Thursday by the transit authority's board of directors as part of a $1.58 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2013.
The increases, which also include a $0.25 hike in parking lot and garage fees and a $0.20 charge for paying bus fares with cash instead of a SmarTrip card, would take effect July 1, the Washington Post reports.
The fare hikes are part of a plan to close a projected $103 million deficit. Initially, the board had predicted it would face a $116 million shortfall.
Metro would eliminate the "peak of the peak" surcharge passed on to riders during rush hour, which was introduced with the system's last significant fare hike in 2010.
It would also discontinue $9 day passes, valid weekdays after 9:30 a.m., and replace them with $14 tickets good at any time, any day of the week, the Post reports.
| Current | New (Effective July 1) | |
| Base peak rail fare | $1.95 |
$2.10 |
| Maximum peak rail fare | $5 | $5.75 |
| Base off-peak rail fare | $1.60 | $1.70 |
| Maximum off-peak fare |
$2.75 | $3.50 |
| Bus fare | $1.50 | $1.60 |
| Cash surcharge, bus | n/a | $0.20 |
| Paper surcharge (not SmarTrip), rail | n/a | $1 |
In a system that determines fares based on distance traveled, those commuting into Washington, D.C. from Virginia and Maryland suburbs will be the hardest hit. Maximum peak fares of $5.75, up from $5, means riders will pay $1.50 more for a round trip — an increase of $7.50 for a five-day work week and more than $380 over the course of one year.
The system will finalize its budget in May.
Metro held a series of public meetings about the increases in February and March.
At a meeting in April, the board said its ridership forecast for the next year had improved: It predicted 11 million more passenger trips than originally projected in November and $9 million in additional revenue prior to any fare change, according to a Metro release.
How will the rate hike affect you? Ride Metro less? Cut spending elsewhere?
Arlene K. Polangin
1:28 pm on Saturday, April 28, 2012
I will ride Metro less, especially as the increase in parking fees are outrageous....!!!!
R Lee
6:25 am on Sunday, April 29, 2012
Metro is one area that keep fares low to encourage readership and minimize traffic.
How about investigating how many Metro officials use Metro paid cars with drivers and what does that cost the Metro System?
I guarantee they're not driving Prius cars!!!!!
Cheryl
9:26 am on Sunday, April 29, 2012
Because I don't have a car, part of my job search is to map the best way to get to it, using Metro's Trip Planner. When I see roundtrip transportation costs of at least $8 PER DAY, then I have to determine if the compensation offered is worth paying that much (and sometimes MUCH MORE) per week, and it usually isn't, especially if the job in question is part-time - how stupid is it to land a job just to afford what it costs to get to it? What this means is that I'll definitely limit the job search to base fare. Depending on where the job was in the District and/or to other parts of Maryland or Virginia, bus/Metro fare would cost as much as $10 or $15 per day. With the cost of everything else skyrocketing, how do you look at your budget and justify earmarking that much money per week, month, and year? But then, with jobs so hard to find, how do you not? It's a tight spot they put us in, but I simply won't get caught up in much of this madness and take a pass on the job even though I'm trippin' over my tongue to have it...