”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
Well, thank heavens for small favors.
Metro announced this afternoon that anyone with a SmarTrip card that’s registered through their website will now be able recharge their transit card with a credit card. From the Metro website:
Because SmarTrip fare value is stored on the card, rather than in a central computer, customers must complete their transaction by touching their card to a target, such as a Metrorail faregate, vending machine or bus farebox. Customers should allow up to one business day for value to be transferred to their card when touching a rail faregate or vending machine and up to three business days at a bus farebox.
Well, it’s not perfect. But it’s a good start.
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.
What help is this if it isn’t instantaneous? If I need money to be on my card, chances are I’m PROBABLY going to pass by a fare machine sooner than the 1-2 business days online takes.
I suppose this might be convenient for people who only ever use the bus though. But I’d bet that demographic is pretty small and not using credit cards for bus fares in the first place.