D.C. Metro Faregate Installation Nearing Milestone

Faster, better faregates are making it easier for customers to tap, pay, and ride D.C. Metro with installation now reaching nearly 50% of all stations, one-third of which are complete. This is part of Metro’s fare modernization program to improve the rail system’s faregates and fareboxes on Metrobus, along with other fare technology upgrades, including mobile pay on Apple iOS and Android.

In conjunction with the rollout of the new faregates, and bus fareboxes in late 2022, Metro announced last April that older SmarTrip® cards will be phased out. SmarTrip cards purchased prior to 2012 contain outdated chip technology and do not work with the new faregates now installed or partially installed at nearly half of all stations.

To assist customers with the transition, beginning March 1, the old farecards will no longer be accepted at fare vending machines in stations, fareboxes on buses, parking facilities and retail locations.

Beginning February 7, customers also won’t be able to add value to old cards online. Additionally, Metro has begun to discontinue the ability to add money to old, obsolete cards at fare vending machines in all stations currently with new faregates. Labels will be added to indicate which machines no longer process the old cards. This will help customers avoid putting additional funds on cards that don’t work in those stations.

“We encourage customers to replace their old SmarTrip cards today and not to wait,” said Metro GM/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld. “As we transition to new, upgraded faregates taking this step now will ensure that as customers return to offices and other activities, they’ll be ready to go.”