Metro To Refund Passengers Who Wait 15 Minutes Or More

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Starting Friday, Metro will refund passengers who are delayed by 15 minutes or more, an unprecedented move that appears aimed at winning back riders who are abandoning the system in droves.

The new program, called the "Rush-Hour Promise," will provide full refund credits to anyone riding Metro rail or bus during peak hours who are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

During weekday rush hours, if a customer's trip takes 15 minutes or longer than the expected travel time range, Metro will automatically issue a credit to the customer's SmarTrip card.

Almost all common causes of delays are covered under the Rush Hour Promise, including mechanical issues, track problems, police activity and sick customers, Metro says. Rail customers eligible for a credit will be notified by email the next business day and a credit will be issued to their SmarTrip card within 5 business days.

“Rush Hour Promise is our commitment to riders that we are accountable for providing reliable, on-time service,” Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement. “We want our customers to know that we value their time, and we’re going to do everything we can to keep them moving safely and efficiently.”

There are a handful of circumstances where the Rush Hour Promise does not apply:

• Major capital work or repair projects when customer notification is made in advance.
• Severe weather events (e.g. major winter snowstorms) when Metro service is adjusted and/or customer notification is made in advance.
• Extraordinary circumstances or "force majeure" events, such as a region-wide blackout or major security incident, when service is affected.
• Metrobus trips delayed by traffic, weather or factors outside Metro's control.

Customers using pass products such as the monthly SelectPass, One Day Pass and Seven Day Pass that are already discounted will receive a $3 credit for delayed Metrorail trips and $1 credit for delayed Metrobus trips under the program. U-Pass and Kids Ride Free passes are not eligible for the Rush Hour Promise.

Metro records about 615,000 riders each weekday on average, way down from its peak of 750,000 in 2008, and many customers say they're leaving because of reliability problems that continue to persist despite the culmination of Metro's "SafeTrack" rail improvement effort last year.

For additional information about the program visit wmata.com/promise.

Image via WMATA