22nd
A recent Forbes article discussed the many consequences of the current Metro fare hike which has been implemented in two phases. The first phase occurred in late June and all fares jumped by about 18%. The next phase of the fare hike is absolutely mind boggling.
The Forbes article writes: “I suppose somebody will write a smart phone app to help me figure out my Metro fare.” find a metro dc is that app.
Although the newest update has been uploaded to Apple which includes fare information for the second phase of the Metro fare hike which goes into effect August 1, I have been unsure of the best way to get the app’s trip planner to succinctly and easily provide the user with fare information. I had to make some decisions.
The app used to provide the user with roundtrip fare information, but as people will come to see, this information is worth less now. There will be three different types of fares (1) Regular, (2) Rush and (3) Peak. The new addition for August 1 is peak of the peak fares, which tack on an extra 20 cents if you travel from Monday to Friday 7:30-9am and 4:30-6pm. Normal “rush” fares are charged Monday to Friday from opening-7:30 am and 9-9:30, 3-4:30, 6-7pm as well as midnight - closing on Friday and Saturday. The “regular” fares exist at all other times. I tried to provide a user of the app with all of this information and didn’t worry about roundtrip fares because there is a good chance that you will pay two different fares (one there and one back).
On top of these three different types of fares, you will also have to pay a different amount depending on whether you use a SmarTrip card or a paper ticket. A paper ticket costs an extra 25 cents.
Metro had to delay this second fare hike until August 1 because it took them that long to rewrite their software to charge you these mind bending amounts. Unfortunately, this fare hike is ridiculously complicated. Download find a metro dc to ease some of your pain.
