Posts tagged Unlimited Passes
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SmarTrip improvements on tap for summer 2011
By this July, Metro rail and bus riders should be able to load money onto their SmarTrip cards online and set up a credit card to automatically reload when the balance gets low. However, rail passes on SmarTrip are going to take a little longer. WMATA doesn’t have as firm a timeline for that upgrade, but anticipates finishing this by the end of the year. They’ve prioritized… Keep reading…
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Paper bus passes extended through January
Though they had initially announced January 2, 2011 as the end date, WMATA has extended the life of paper bus passes through January 29. After that date, area buses will no longer accept weekly paper bus passes. The paper pass reprieve comes as a result of “unforeseen technical issues,” according to WMATA’s Ron Holzer. ART announced the extension in a press… Keep reading…
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SmarTrip prices? Fare principles? Bomb jammers?
While the projected $90 million budget gap will likely generate the most debate at Thursday’s WMATA Board meeting, the finance committee will also consider the ongoing discussion of dropping SmarTrip prices, adopting general fare principles, buying bomb jamming equipment and more. WMATA’s finance staff have done even more analysis of three of the SmarTrip… Keep reading…
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CaBi goes corporate, should consider Eco Pass model
DDOT recently announced a corporate-sponsored bikeshare program that allows area employers to purchase bikeshare memberships to give to employees. As a next step, it should consider offering a blanket membership that applies to all employees, like the transit Eco Passes in a number of western cities. The current program has four membership levels, from Bronze to Platinum,… Keep reading…
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Metro putting bus passes on SmarTrip cards
Yesterday, WMATA announced that SmarTrip users would be able to load 7-day bus passes onto their cards starting October 17. Transit users will be able to jettison one card from their wallets. Passes extend for 7 days from when they’re first used, as opposed to the current system where they have to run from Sunday to Saturday. Users can load two consecutive… Keep reading…
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Bring back bus-rail transfers for pass users
Metro’s recently announced pass pilot brought to light a detail in implementation that affects a lot of riders and potential pass customers. In a Facebook exchange, Metro reported that riders using passes will not be allowed the normal $0.50 discount when transferring between rail and bus or vice versa. This decision is inconsistent with the Metro… Keep reading…
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Metro’s lost passes
Thanks to the Internet Archive, we can travel back in time to see the passes Metro used to offer to the public (we can also take a look at hideous late 1990s webpage design). Let’s look at some pass ideas that for one reason or another have been cancelled. Keep reading…
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Seattle’s ORCA passes show what Metro passes could be
WMATA should replace its existing three-pass system for weekly Metrobus and Metrorail riders with a flexible pass system modeled off of Puget Pass. Puget Pass is a system in the Seattle area where riders pay a fixed monthly price based on the value of the trip they want to have included. For rides that exceeed their price, they have to pay extra out of stored value. I obtained… Keep reading…
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Metro morsels: SmarTrips and Gallery Place art
This morning’s WMATA Board meeting, as usual, brought up a number of small yet significant items. WMATA will sell SmarTrips at a loss: Last month, the WMATA Board voted to reduce the cost of SmarTrip cards to $2.50. That decision was made in part on information some staff told the Board that SmarTrip cards actually cost WMATA about $1. However, a presentation today revealed… Keep reading…
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Dinner links: High to the sky
Airport insecurity; VA legislators try transit; Lego buildings at NBM; Teens jaywalk because bridge is inconvenient; Use Metro passes?; Costs going up in Arlington; $175/month for bike parking?; Bait bikes: police tool or entrapment?. Keep reading…