Free Metro, Rideshare Among Travel Options For DC Area July 4 Fireworks

WASHINGTON, DC — Free travel to and from fireworks events will be available in the DC region on the evening of July 4.

Metro will offer free evening travel until closing, while the Washington Regional Alcohol Program's SoberRide program will have free Lyft rides up to $15.

Metro's Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess will be fare-free on Fourth of July from 5 p.m. until closing. Faregates will be open, so riders will not need to use a SmarTrip card. Parking will be free at Metro's parking garages and lots on Fourth of July.

"The Metro Board of Directors is proud to support our region’s Independence Day celebrations by providing fare-free service for all customers traveling after 5 p.m. on July 4," said Metro Board Chair Paul Smedberg in a statement. "The best way to beat traffic and get to barbeques, parades, and fireworks is with Metro, America’s transit system."

Metro will also provide frequent service on all Metrorail lines to help riders get to the National Mall and other locations for Fourth of July fireworks. Service will increase at 4 p.m. in preparation for Fourth of July festivities.

To avoid crowding on July 4, Metro advises delaying travel immediately after fireworks when possible and consider utilizing stations other than Smithsonian to get to DC's fireworks on the National Mall.

Smithsonian station will become an "exit only" station at 5 p.m. and "entry only" after 9 p.m. to accommodate crowds. Metro Transit Police will be present throughout the system and may temporarily halt entries to stations that become too crowded.

On the Orange Line, the Vienna and Dunn Loring stations remain closed for a rail replacement project. Shuttle buses will serve the closed station, or riders can use the West Falls Church station.

Another option for travelers will be the SoberRide program, which offers free Lyft rides up to $15 as an alternative for would-be intoxicated drivers. The program will run from 4 p.m. on July 4 to 4 a.m. on July 5.

"Nearly 40-percent of U.S. traffic fatalities during the Independence Day holiday involve drunk drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration," said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program. "And July 4th’s nighttime hours are of particular concern as 82 percent of fatal drunk driving crashes in the U.S. during the Independence Day holiday occur at night."

During the SoberRide program, residents 21 and older can enter the SoberRide code into the Lyft app's payment section to receive the $15 credit. The code will be posted at 3 p.m. on July 4 on the SoberRide website.

The SoberRide program can be used in Lyft's DC region coverage area. This includes the District of Columbia, Arlington County, Fairfax County, cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park, parts of Prince William and Loudoun counties, Prince George's County, Charles County, St. Mary's County, and parts of Montgomery County.

The SoberRide program has provided 86,358 free safe rides home to would-be intoxicated drivers in the DC region since 1991. It runs on other major holidays for drinking, including St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Halloween and the winter holidays through New Year’s. In 2022, 435 people used the SoberRide program during the Fourth of July holiday.