Photo by alexispz on Flickr.

Buy your favorite transit rider a SmarTrip card as a stocking stuffer! This year they will be available at CVS just in time for Christmas (but only six nights of Hanuukkah). According to this press release, CVS will start selling the SmarTrip rechargeable farecard starting December 23 at 190 stores in DC, Maryland and Virginia. The list of specific locations isn’t available yet, but once the cards go on sale, you can find a CVS location near you which sells the card using this search tool. CVS stores that sell the card will display a “Smartrip Sold Here” decal on the front door.

The cards cost $10, which includes $5 in pre-loaded value. Starting January 4, the Smartrip card will be the only way to get a discounted transfer between rail and bus, or a free transfer between buses. Additionally, SmarTrip card users save $0.10 per trip on bus, and speed up boarding times for everyone else.

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Tagged: smartrip, transit, wmata

Michael Perkins blogs about Metro operations and fares, performance parking, and any other government and economics information he finds on the Web. He lives with his wife and two children in Arlington, Virginia.