SmarTrip Info Coming to a Website Near You

Photo courtesy of
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Metro’s board gave preliminary approval to a change in the system’s privacy policy yesterday. The change would allow Metro to give you information about your SmarTrip card online.

Amazingly, Metro did not anticipate giving users access to their data online when the privacy policy was enacted in 2005. The full board will vote to change that later this month, and riders should expect access to their information by July.

Metro says that having SmarTrip information available online “will save Metro approximately $6,000 per year of staff time and copying costs incurred in responding to requests for paper records.” That’s right, paper records are currently the only way to get access to this data.

The press release does not fill me with confidence that the process will be easy or sane, though. Metro will require a raft of information as well as a “digital signature” before they’ll let you access that data.

Born in Lebanon, Samer moved to DC to go to college. A lot of good that did him. Twenty-two years later, he still lives in the area. When he’s not writing for a blog or tweeting incessantly, he wanders the streets (and the globe) photographing whatever gets in his way.

One thought on “SmarTrip Info Coming to a Website Near You”

  1. Note that’s before them giving YOU your own data. There are no restrictions on them handing out your ridership details to any cop who asks; no warrant or subpoena is necessary. Big Brother, it’s for your own good, you see.