New, Simpler Fares Coming to Metro on July 1

 

Starting Saturday, July 1, Metro is introducing fare capping, a new way to pay your fare that makes riding more convenient and less expensive. Just remember, the more you ride, the more you save! Some fares are going down too! Here is all you need to know:

Those who pay regular fare
  • The regular fare remains $1.75 with two hours of free transfers.
  • No one will pay more than $5 a day to ride or $18 in a seven day period— after you reach the 1-day and 7-day caps, you can continue to ride free. When you buy a pass, you may not always ride enough to get the full value of the pass but with fare capping you never overpay. You only pay for the rides you take.
  • To enjoy this benefit, you need to have a TAP card and pay for fare with Stored Value. If you’re still paying fares with cash, please get a TAP card. They’re available for $2 at TAP vending machines located at Metro Rail and Busway stations, onboard Metro buses, at Metro Customer Centers, at TAP vendors, and on taptogo.net or the TAP mobile app. New regular TAP cards purchased can be used up to 15 years and you don’t have to register the card or do anything to immediately enjoy the benefits of fare capping.
  • To echo that point: you can still pay with cash, but you’ll end up paying more to ride. Get a TAP card!!! Note: digital TAP cards and reduced fare TAP cards remain free.
  • Our Metro 1-Day, 7-Day and 30-Day passes are being discontinued beginning July 1 as they’re longer necessary with fare capping.
Seniors and Riders With Disabilities
  • The base fare for seniors and customers with disabilities will remain at 75 cents during peak hours and 35 cents during off-peak hours.
  • The daily cap remains at $2.50 and the seven-day cap will be $5.
K-12 and College/Vocational students
  • The base fare for K-12 will drop from $1 to 75 cents and college and vocational students will see their base fare drop from $1.75 to 75 cents.
  • Student fares will be capped at $2.50/day and $6 in a seven-day period.
GoPass participants
  • If you have a GoPass nothing changes. Continue to enjoy riding free and you don’t have to do anything.
LIFE riders
  • Riders who are enrolled in our Low Income Fare Is Easy (LIFE) program will get 20 free rides per month — each ride will include two hours of free transfers. After taking the 20 free rides in a month, LIFE riders will participate in fare capping, where they can reach their one-day and seven-day fare cap and earn additional free rides.
  • Key point — even when paying for fares, LIFE riders will never pay more than $5 a day or $18 a week to ride.
J Line and Express Bus Riders
  • No more upcharges — the cost of riding drops to Metro’s regular fare!
Riding Metro

When you tap on the bus fareboxes or TAP validators at rail stations, the display will show how much Stored Value (money) is being deducted or whether the ride is free. More detailed information, including your fare capping status, will be available on the TAP vending machines, the TAP app, on taptogo.net or by calling TAP Customer Service at 866-827-8646.

To learn more about our new fares, please visit metro.net/farecapping.