Metro spent $5 million to beef up service on Inauguration Day, but only collected $3 million in fares. According to The Washington Post story, the inauguration saw "1,120,000 train trips, 423,000 Metrobus trips and 1,721 MetroAccess paratransit rides, for a total of 1,544,721 trips." That makes an average of $2 per ride. Does that make sense to anyone? $2 each way, perhaps, but even that seems low. It just doesn't add up to me.
*Photo by James A. Parcell For The Washington Post
I don't know if they charged rush hour fares or not, but I think slightly higher fares would not have deterred many. Why doesn't Metro have a flat rate, anyway, Having to enter your ticket or swipe your smartcard on the way out is kinda dumb, I think. Never seen it on another system. Yet another choke point.
ReplyDeleteI rode to capital south on inauguration day and they didn't have anybody swipe their fare cards when we got off the metro- there must have been hundreds of people go through that line and not have to pay because of that.
ReplyDeleteYup When I left from Franconia all the people left without swiping cards. Guess because it was taking too long and getting backed up. I wonder if they will get the money back in a way, since most of the people were tourists and prolly will never use the cards? Does that make sense...
ReplyDeleteThat $3 million is probably calculated income based on exit fares. However, since the next time you run your card or ticket after inaugaration the money will be removed, they will get those lost funds eventually. Or, if they are tourists then the cards will just be tossed or stuck in some scrapbook. Either way they prolly will end up with more money then $3. What made me mad was they reduced parking to $4 when its normally like $4.50/$4.65... Since they made parking cash only they should have charged a special event fee of like $5. Would have seemed legit to me. Oh well. I like the metro, wish it was a little cheaper though so I'm sorry they didn't break even
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