Metro News Release

For immediate release: March 18, 2004

Metro sets June 28 deadline to transition parking lot payment to SmarTrip-only system

Metro managers have approximately 100 days to convert all of Metro’s parking lots to a SmarTrip card payment system" a transition that 71 percent of parkers already have made. Today, the Metro Board endorsed a plan to shift to a parking lot payment system that relies on SmarTrip card technology in an effort to eliminate suspected theft of parking fees. A comprehensive internal Metro audit report of parking operations and revenue collection from Metro-owned parking lots that are operated by Penn Parking focuses on suspected shortfalls in parking revenue collection and potential solutions. The 18-page audit was completed in May 2003. The Metro Board agreed to eliminate parking lot cashiers by requiring parking lot users pay with a SmarTrip card. Approximately 71 percent of parkers currently use SmarTrip to pay for their parking. Metro will install SmarTrip dispensing machines in its parking garages for customers to use prior to moving to the cashless system. Currently, customers who park in Metro-owned parking lots pay if they exit the parking lots between 2 and 10 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Under the new plan, the payment hours will be expanded from 9 a.m. until closing Mondays through Fridays. Parking on weekends and Federal holidays will remain free. The expansion of payment hours is expected to generate an additional $2.5 million for the FY 2005 operating budget. To ensure the availability of SmarTrip cards to parking customers, Metro will install dispensing machines that sell the cards for $5 in its stations with parking facilities. Customers will then need to add fare value to the card by taking it to a fare vending machine. Once loaded with value, SmarTrip can be used seamlessly to pay for parking fees as well as for fares to ride Metrorail and some Metrobuses. All Metrobuses will be outfitted with new SmarTrip-accepting fareboxes later this year. Currently only a few hundred Metrobuses have the SmarTrip fareboxes installed. SmarTrip cards cost $5 each, plus the amount of fare the individual wants to purchase on the card. Customers may add up to $200 in value on a SmarTrip card, so it can last a long time between charging. SmarTrip is available for purchase by cash, check or credit/debit card at any of three Metro sales offices; at any of 11 commuter stores; at special retail outlets; via U.S. mail; at any of six specific Metrobus divisions; or online at http://www.wmata.com/riding/smartrip.cfm. Locations of SmarTrip sales locations are also available online or by calling 202-637-7000. If someone loses a SmarTrip card, they don" t lose the value. For a $5 fee to replace the card itself, Metro will reissue a new SmarTrip card with the value on the card at the time the customer notified officials that it was lost. For this valuable replacement feature, customers must register their card, either at the point of purchase, via the mail or online. Moving to a SmarTrip-only parking lot system is expected to cost Metro $1.2 million to fund 18 additional positions to convert to a cashless parking lot collection system and $4.1 million to initiate and award, on an expedited basis, contracts necessary to modify existing contracts needed to convert to cashless operations ($2.9 million in operating funds and $1.2 million in capital funds). That money includes new signage, the acquisition of SmarTrip vending machines, and parking lot assistance personnel.

News release issued on March 18, 2004.