Community Corner

Metro Smartphone Pilot Fare Program to Kick Off This Fall

The new system will be implemented in 10 Metrorail stations, six Metrobus routes, and two parking facilities.

Metro will start testing a pilot program that will allow users to pay fares with a smartphone or watch. The installation of the systems will start in October and launch in January.

There will be no need to convert currency into Metro value. The fare system will offer different ways to pay for rides including smartphones, NFC-enabled watches, and contactless credit and debit cards. Eventually federal workers’ ID cards will work as well.

If the new fare system becomes permanent, the current Metro vending machines will be replaced and new systems will be put onto buses and into parking facilities. This is a multi-year process and the new systems will be installed in 2017, upon a successful completion of the pilot program.

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The 10 Metrorail stations that will be used for the pilot testing include:

  • Shady Grove
  • Eisenhower Avenue
  • Bethesda
  • Pentagon City
  • Ballston
  • Gallery Place (7th & F)
  • Farragut West
  • Navy Yard
  • Suitland

The six Metrobus routes that will be used for the pilot testing include:

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  • 37 (Wisconsin Avenue Limited)
  • X9 (Benning Rd-H Street Limited)
  • 39 (Pennsylvania Avenue Limited)
  • K9 (New Hampshire Avenue Limited)
  • J4 (College Park-Bethesda Limited)
  • REX (Richmond Highway Express)

The two parking facilities that will be used for the pilot testing include:

  • Shady Grove
  • Suitland

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