Do you need cash for DC Metro?

Metro Fare Basics SmarTrip® cards are used to pay fares on both Metrorail and Metrobus. Metrorail fares are variable depending on time-of-day and distance traveled. Regular (non-express) bus fares are the same throughout the system. Metrobus also accepts bills and coins.



People Also Ask

During peak hours, the minimum fare is $2.25, but the maximum fare is $6.00. That goes down to $2.00 and $3.85 in off-peak hours. What is the subway system like in Washington D.C.?

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Pay for Metro with just your phone! With SmarTrip® in your Mobile Wallet you'll be able to: Pay for your train, bus, and parking wherever SmarTrip is accepted. Know where your SmarTrip® is.

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One reason that Metro charges riders so much to use the rail system is the funding situation in the region. With a lack of a dedicated funding source, WMATA has to go to the jurisdictions each year to ask for money.

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All told, the commute cost using the IRS rate and a more average parking rate downtown comes out to about twice the cost of Metro even riding at the most expensive times and parking at a Metro lot. The mistakes in the original reflect a miscalculation that many commuters are making on a daily basis.

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DC METRO PASSES First, you will need a SmarTrip card to enter and exit the system. A SmarTrip card is required for each rider aged 5 and older (up to two children under age five may travel free with each fare-paying adult). SmartTrip cards can be ordered online or you may buy a card at the station.

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