The governing body has approved a fare hike that will raise Metro fares by up to $0.60 per trip, parking by $0.75 per day and bus fares by $0.10. The fare hike is designed to prevent a $110M shortfall predicted in next year’s budget. Here’s how the fare problems break out:
The new base rail fare: $1.65 (up from $1.35)
The new max rail fare: $4.50 (up from $3.90)
The new parking rate: up to $4.00 (up from $3.25)
The new metrobus fare: $1.35 (up from $1.25, remains $1.25 if you use SmarTrip)
No word on why Metro chose to leave bus fares static for SmarTrip card users, or why a similar option (or at least a lower fare hike…) wasn’t provided to rail users. The new fares take effect on January 6th, 2008, so enjoy your “cheap” fares for the rest of the year, and get ready to budget up to another couple bucks a day for next year’s fares.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
