SmarTrip

The SmarTrip card is a plastic contactless stored-value smart card used for payment within the Washington Metro system of Washington, D.C. Unlike traditional paper farecards, it is designed to be permanent and reloadable, and as of 2004 can be used in all Metrorail stations, and on all Metrobuses. Additionally, as of April 2007, SmarTrip is the primary way to pay for parking fees at Metro-operated lots. SmarTrip can also be used on the DC Circulator. Other regional bus systems in neighboring Virginia and Maryland have adopted SmarTrip readers due to its success on WMATA Metrobuses.

Overview

SmarTrip cards are roughly the same size as a credit card or driver's license. The card is touched to a circular target on the top or side of each exit gate rather than inserted into a slot, affording some speed and convenience over the paper farecard. Additionally, it is usually not necessary to remove the card from a wallet or purse before touching the Smartrip target. In the Metrorail system, touching the card will display the value remaining as the faregate opens, both when entering and exiting. On Metrobuses, the farebox will audibly beep and display the value. In all cases, the appropriate fare is deducted automatically, accounting for any applicable transfers and discounts.

The cards can be purchased at Metro sales facilities at the Metro Center and Pentagon stations, from vending machines at most stations, and online. Their purchase price includes $5 for the card itself plus an initial fare value, which varies depending on where they are purchased: cards purchased at stations cost $10 ($5 for the card and $5 fare value), while those purchased online cost $30 ($5 for the card and $25 fare value). The cards can be reloaded using farecard vending machines equipped with a SmarTrip target and can store up to $300 in value at one time.

Currently, all trips made with a SmarTrip card are charged as individual one-way fares. Customers making several trips in one day, or many trips in a seven-day period, must purchase a pass in the form of a paper farecard to benefit from the lowest fares. This is in contrast to the Oyster card system on the London Underground, for example, where fares are automatically capped to ensure that customers never pay more than the cost of a one-day pass each day.

As the Exitfare machines currently do not accept SmarTrip, riders with insufficient value to pay their fare are allowed to exit the system with a negative balance. This negative balance must, however, be paid before the card may be used again to enter the system. One may not exit a Metro parking facility with a negative balance on the SmarTrip card; the card must contain sufficient value to pay the full fee in order to exit the Metro parking lot.

A microchip contained within the card stores its value, as well as the rider's most recent entry and exit points, and a unique identifier. However, the unique identifier is not linked to a person's name or identity, unless one registers their cards online. Registering SmarTrip cards allows one to recover the card balance value (minus the five-dollar cost for a new card), should the card be lost, stolen, or damaged. The unique identifier also allows workers enrolled in the SmartBenefits program to receive their monthly benefit automatically to their SmarTrip card.

SmarTrip cards have conditions of use and instructions on the back; on the front of the standard card is a stylized picture of a railcar and a bus in front of representations of the Washington Monument, United States Capitol, and stylized versions of classical architecture found in Washington, D.C. The Metro logo appears in the bottom left. The first promotional SmarTrip card was issued in 2008 to commemorate the opening of the newly-built baseball facility, Nationals Park.

The SmarTrip system was built and designed by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of San Diego-based Cubic Corporation.

Parking

In a controversial move, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced that as part of a new cashless parking payment system, SmarTrip would be the only way to pay for parking at Metro-operated garages and lots effective June 28, 2004, after reports of widespread theft of cash by Metro's parking contractor, Penn Parking.cite web
date = May 24 to May 30, 2004
url = http://thisweek.cua.edu/archive_view.cfm?issue=94
title = "For Your Benefit: Metrorail SmarTrip Cards"
work = This Week @ CUA
publisher = Catholic University of America
accessdate = 2007-06-13] This prompted cries that Metro was inconveniencing its many customers, including tourists and other infrequent users, who did not own a SmarTrip card. In response, Metro installed special SmarTrip card vending machines at all stations with parking facilities to make the cards more readily available. However, temporary shortages of cards were experienced immediately following the system's implementation.cite web
date = March 11, 2005
url = http://content.wmata.com/board_gm/board_docs/031705_Agenda_Item_9.pdf
title = "Metro Electronic Action Document: New SmarTrip Parking Signage"
format = PDF
publisher = Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
accessdate = 2007-06-13] cite web
date = July 21, 2004
url = http://www.wmata.com/about/MET_NEWS/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=458&PrintFriendly=Y
title = "SmarTrip supply low as sales soar"
work = wmata.com
publisher = Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
accessdate = 2007-06-13]

SmarTrip cards are not required for parking at Metro stations on weekends, holidays, and other special events, as parking fees are only charged on normal weekdays.cite web
url = http://www.wmata.com/riding/smartrip_for_parking_faqs.cfm
title = "SmarTrip for Parking FAQ"
work = wmata.com
publisher = Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
accessdate = 2007-06-13]

In April 2007, in response to customer complaints about the limitations of parking payment options, WMATA began testing the use of credit cards to pay for parking at six Metro stations, avoiding the need for SmarTrip cards at these sites. The sites are Anacostia on the Green Line, Shady Grove on the Red Line, Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and New Carrollton on the Orange Line, and Franconia-Springfield and Largo Town Center on the Blue Line.cite news
url = http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=57059
title = Metro Unveils Credit Card Parking Lot Payment Pilot Program
work = WUSA9.com
publisher = WUSA-TV
date = March 29, 2007
accessdate = 2007-06-13] Each has one exit lane that accepts credit card payments through a credit card reader next to the existing SmarTrip card target reader.cite web
url = http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/daily-parking.cfm
title = "Daily parking at Metro stations"
work = wmata.com
publisher = Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
accessdate = 2007-09-29]

Participating systems

* DC Circulator
* Driving Alexandrians Safely Home (DASH; Alexandria), as of February 2007cite news
url = http://www.wmata.com/about/MET_NEWS/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1634
title = SmarTrip accepted on bus systems in Maryland and Virginia
publisher = WMATA
date = May 14, 2007
accessdate = 2007-05-23] cite web
date = February 5, 2007
url = http://www.dashbus.com/cgi-bin/dashnews.pl?view+nr_20070205121458+02/05/2007
title = "Alexandria DASH Fleet Now Equipped with SmarTrip Fareboxes"
publisher = DASH: Alexandria Public Transit
accessdate = 2007-05-22]
* Fairfax Connector (Fairfax County), as of May 2007cite web
date = May 2, 2007
url = http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/smartrip.htm
title = "Smartrip Technology On Fairfax Connector Buses"
publisher = Fairfax County Government
accessdate = 2007-05-22]
* Metrobus
* Metrorail (trains and parking)
* Ride On (Montgomery County), as of April 2007 [cite web
date = 2007-04-29
url = http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/dpwt/transit/routesandschedules/pdffiles/smartrip_brochure.pdf
title = "SmarTrip on Ride On" brochure
format = PDF
publisher = Montgomery County DPWT, Division of Transit Services
accessdate = 2007-05-22]
* City-University-Energysaver (CUE; City of Fairfax), as of June 2007
* Arlington Transit (ART)cite news
url = http://blog.washingtonpost.com/getthere/2007/12/metro_expanding_smartrip_sales.html
title = Metro Expanding SmarTrip Sales
publisher = Washington Post
date = December 27, 2007
accessdate = 2007-12-30]
* [http://www.loudoun.gov/bus/ Loudoun County Commuter Bus]
* Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC, OmniLink, OmniRide, Metro Direct; Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park), as of March 3, 2008

Future participants

* Maryland Transit Administration services (light rail, subway, buses, and MARC) via compatibility with the Maryland Transit Pass
* Virginia Railway Express will be integrating SmarTrip into their current fare collection system. It will be accepted as a form of payment for printed tickets, but not directly aboard trains.cite web
date = 9 January 2008
url = http://www.vre.org/feedback/forums/january2008.pdf
title = "January 2008 Online Forum Transcript"
work = vre.org
publisher = Virginia Railway Express
accessdate = 2008-01-25]

References

External links

* [http://www.wmata.com/riding/smartrip.cfm SmarTrip home page]
* [http://www.wmata.com/riding/online_sales.cfm Metro online sales]
*
* [http://cubic.com/cts/ Cubic Transportation Systems]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/23/AR2006122300544.html Post article about proposed fare changes]