If you’re in the market to buy a Metro SmarTrip card, you may want to wait a little longer.
Metro will lower the cost of the card from $5 to $2.50 on Aug. 29, according to the Washington Examiner.
This news comes just weeks after Metro adopted another rate increase. Rail fares jumped 18 percent. Starting Aug. 1, Metro will also begin charging 25 cents more for rail trips paid for with paper fare cards.
Metro bus riders already pay 20 cents more when paying cash instead of using a SmarTrip card.
According to the Examiner, Metro made the decision to reduce the cost of the SmarTrip card as a gift to riders who are dealing with the higher prices. So do the math: How often do you use a paper fare card? There are 20 workdays between the paper fare card hike and the SmarTrip price reduction. At the very least, next time you lose your SmarTrip card, it'll only cost half as much to replace.
SmarTrip cards can be purchased on Metro’s website, and at participating CVS and Giant Food stores.
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