Public meetings scheduled for proposed Metro fare hike
19.05.12
WASHINGTON - Now is your chance to speak your mind about plans to raise Metro fares.
The first of six public hearings on Metro's budget for the next fiscal year is Monday night at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. There will be other meetings in Falls Church, Arlington, Hyattsville, and Southeast and Northwest D.C. over the next two weeks.
Metro says fare hikes are needed to cover improvements to the system and increasing costs. The format of the changes is also meant to push more people to use SmarTrip cards.
The proposal would raise fares for anyone using a SmarTrip, anywhere from 10 cents to $1, depending on how long the trip is, and whether it's taken in a peak or off-peak time. The "peak-of-the-peak" surcharge would be eliminated, meaning that some riders may actually get a small discount if this plan is adopted.
The biggest proposed changes are for anyone using a paper farecard. One proposal has paper farecard users paying a flat rate of $6 in rush
Source: WTOP