Metro News Release
For immediate release: May 20, 2005
SmarTrip card sales top one million
SmarTrip and customer service enhancements unveiled
SmarTrip, Metro’s permanent, rechargeable farecard, reached a major milestone today, when Metro issued the one millionth card at Metro Center Metrorail station.
Metro also announced several customer service improvements that make it easier for customers to replace lost or defective SmarTrip cards and buy weekly Metrobus passes at Metro Center.
"Since 1999 when we introduced SmarTrip, customers have enjoyed the convenience, ease and speed of SmarTrip," said Metro’s Assistant General Manager for Customer Communications Leona Agouridis. "Some 60 percent of Metrorail riders use SmarTrip during their rush hour commutes and usage on Metrobus is growing."
A SmarTrip card can hold up to $300 in value and is accepted on Metrorail and Metrobus, and is the only way to pay for parking in Metro-operated lots. If a customer registers his or her card with Metro and loses the card, the value on the card remains protected from the time the card is reported lost or stolen.
To make it easier to replace lost or defective SmarTrip cards, Metro has started issuing on-the-spot replacement cards at the Metro Center Sales Center.
A customer who reports the loss of a SmarTrip card at the Metro Center sales office can purchase a replacement card for $5 and add value to it. If the card was registered, the remaining balance on the card at the time it was reported lost will be transferred to the new card within five business days. This new enhancement allows customers to replace their cards without having to call or send a letter or e-mail to the SmarTrip Regional Customer Service Center to report the loss, and provides immediate protection for the remaining balance on the lost card.
Similarly, a customer who presents a defective SmarTrip card at the Metro Center sales office can now receive a free replacement card right away. After adding value to the card at the passes/farecard vending machine or on a Metrobus SmarTrip farebox, the customer’s new SmarTrip card is ready for immediate use. If the customer registered his or her original SmarTrip card, the balance remaining on the damaged card at the time it was turned in will be transferred to the customer’s new card within five business days. The value will be electronically downloaded to the new card when the customer follows the instruction menu on a SmarTrip vending machine. Previously, customers with defective or damaged cards had to mail them in and wait for a replacement card to be sent to them.
"We’ve listened to our customers who have been asking for more immediate solutions for lost or defective SmarTrip cards and we’re pleased to be introducing these new on-the-spot replacement services," Agouridis said.
Customers are reminded that the remaining value on SmarTrip cards at the time they are reported missing or defective can only be transferred to a new card if the cards are registered. Customers can register a card online, by mail or by fax. To register online, visit the SmarTrip page on Metro’s Web site, http://www.wmata.com/riding/smartrip.cfm. Customers can also obtain a SmarTrip brochure, available at Metrorail stations and Metro sales offices, and mail or fax the registration form to the SmarTrip Regional Customer Service Center.
In addition to the SmarTrip enhancements at the Metro Center sales office, customers can buy weekly bus passes and SmarTrip cards through vending machines. By using the vending machines, customers can avoid standing in lines at the Metro Center sales office and have greater access to SmarTrip cards and the weekly bus passes because they can purchase the passes at any time that the rail station is open, including weekends and late nights.
The SmarTrip card vendor and two new Metrobus weekly bus pass dispensers can be found near the Metro Sales Office in the unpaid area of Metro Center station near the 12th and F Street exit. One vending machine sells passes for the upcoming week and the second machine sells passes for the week after that. For example, today a customer could buy two bus passes, one for the week of May 22 and a second for the week beginning May 29. A weekly Metrobus pass costs $11. Customers can use cash ($1, $5 and $10 bills), or a major credit or debit card to purchase a bus pass from the vending machine. The machines do not make change, so $20 bills are not accepted.
News release issued on May 20, 2005.