Washington Metro - Fare Structure

Fare Structure

Riders enter and exit the system using a stored-value card in the form of a paper magnetic stripe farecard or a proximity card known as SmarTrip. The fare is deducted from the balance of the card; on paper farecards, the new balance is printed upon exiting the system. Farecards are purchased primarily at vending machines in each station. Paper farecards can hold up to $45 in value and are reused until the value of the card reaches zero. If the card contains the exact fare needed to exit, leaving the card at a zero balance, the card is not returned by the exit gate. SmarTrip cards can be purchased at station vending machines, online or at retail outlets, and can store up to $300 in value.

Metro fares vary based on the distance traveled and the time of day at entry. During regular hours (weekdays from opening until 9:30 a.m. and 3–7 p.m., and Friday and Saturday nights from midnight to closing), fares (effective July 1, 2012) range from $2.10 to $5.75, depending on distance traveled. At all other times, fares range from $1.70 to $3.50 based on distance traveled. Customers using a paper farecard must add an additional $1.00 fee for each ride. Discounted fares are available for school children, the disabled, and the elderly. Metro charges reduced fares on all federal holidays.

Passengers may purchase passes at most farecard vending machines. The passes are used the same way as farecards but grant riders unlimited travel within the system for a certain period of time. All the passes are gate-activated, with the period of validity starting with the first use of the pass, and for the paper versions, the expiration date of the pass is printed on the pass when exiting the system at the end of the first trip. Four types of passes are currently sold:

• A One Day Pass for $14, valid for one day of unlimited Metrorail travel. The pass expires at the end of the operating day. Since July 1, 2012, this pass has been available on SmarTrip as well as a paper pass. Prior to that time the cost of the pass was much less ($9), but it was not valid for the morning peak period on weekdays.
• A 7-Day Short Trip Pass for $35, valid for seven consecutive days for Metrorail trips costing up to $3.50 (the maximum off-peak fare) during peak fare times and any trip during off-peak hours. (The $1 paper farecard surcharge is not applicable.) If the trip costs more than $3.50 the difference must be paid at the Exitfare machine before leaving. It is the only pass not available on SmarTrip.
• A 7-Day Fast Pass for $57.50, valid for seven consecutive days of unlimited Metrorail travel. Since April 16, 2012, users have been able to load the Fast Pass onto a SmarTrip card. The 7-Day Fast Pass has not been sold as a paper fare card since September 1, 2012, and will no longer be accepted on a paper fare card after December 31, 2012.
• Since July 1, 2012, a 28-Day Metrorail Fast Pass available on SmarTrip only for $230. Like the version of this pass offered years ago on a plastic farecard, this is for convenience only, offering no savings over four uses of the 7-Day Fast Pass.

Users can add value to any farecard, but riders must pay an exit fare if the cost of a trip is higher than their card's balance. Riders may transfer for free, provided they do not exit through the faregates. SmarTrip users receive a $0.50 discount on bus-to-rail and rail-to-bus transfers. On October 28, 2011 Metro launched Farragut Crossing, a “virtual tunnel” between Farragut West and Farragut North stations that allows SmarTrip customers to transfer above ground for free, provided that they do so within 30 minutes.