Metro discontinuing paper farecards - set dates

[JDC]

"Metro plans to discontinue all sales of paper farecards, including bulk sales, when the last machine on the system is upgraded by January. (Paper farecard sales will end at individual Metrorail stations as the machines are upgraded.) Customers will be able to use any remaining paper farecards to enter and exit the rail system until early March. After that, riders holding paper farecards will still be able to transfer the value from paper to SmarTrip at any rail station or Metro sales office through June 2016."

http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/P ... aseID=5977

[JDC]

Photos of the modified fare machines are in my Google Photos folder: https://goo.gl/photos/18SAsMoiXAcscsDa9

[afiggatt]

I have mixed feelings about the paper farecards going away. As someone who uses a Smartrip card that is. The positive aspect is that I won't get stuck in line at the faregate behind tourists and visitors figuring out how to feed their paper farecard into the gate, often putting it in the wrong way. The sad part is no more thrown away paper farecards with money still left on them in the trash just pass the exit gates. Most of the time the cards that still have value left only have 25 or 40 cents on it, but I have found cards sitting in the top of the trash can with $5 or more left on them. Rich tourists, I guess. Alas, will miss the easy transfer of the paper farecard money to one of my SmarTrip cards...

[jkovach]

Glad to see Metro is modifying the old fare machines to sell new SmarTrip cards. The "new" touchscreen SmarTrip dispensers, at least at the stations I frequent, seem to be displaying .NET crash dialogs or "out of service" signs more often than not. Last thing you want to happen is have a tourist show up and be told they can't use the Metro because they need a SmarTrip card and all the SmarTrip card dispensers are busted. (Welcome to Washington!)

Has anybody purchased a card at one of the modified fare machines yet? Do you buy a "blank" SmarTrip card as one transaction and then add money/passes to it as another transaction? Or does the machine seamlessly dispense SmarTrip cards that are already loaded with an amount selected by the customer, the same way as it dispensed farecards? If the latter, it's a big improvement and should make it less confusing for new riders.

Also, I notice that one of your pictured machines says "Machine provides change in coins up to $10" in one place and "MAXIMUM CHANGE $5.00" in another place. And they really need to get rid of the big "TAKE FARECARD" sign, as the machine will no longer actually dispense you a farecard...

[MCL1981]

The "new" touchscreen SmarTrip dispensers, at least at the stations I frequent, seem to be displaying .NET crash dialogs or "out of service" signs more often than not

Well they're just trying to make their kiosks function in the same manner as their trains and station managers...

[JDC]

Metro has a pretty fun, and informative, video on the transition - I think I heard/read somewhere that Metro will be running ads on TV and radio to announce this change closer to the winter...The ads clarify that a) the vending machines can vend MULTIPLE SmarTrip cards, so that's nice when purchasing for an entire family, and that you can get ANY AMOUNT you want on the SmarTrip card. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvVfKBEhYQk

[Deval]

I bought a Day Pass from an old machine at East Falls Church yesterday. It said the pass was $14.50, then it jumped up to $16.50. When I paid for it, it spit out a SmartTrip with a day pass loaded on it. I was expecting (and wanting) a paper ticket for my collection. I was not expecting a SmartTrip - but should have because of the $2 price increase.

If you don't know any better you would think the TVM is working as designed.

Has anybody purchased a card at one of the modified fare machines yet? Do you buy a "blank" SmarTrip card as one transaction and then add money/passes to it as another transaction? Or does the machine seamlessly dispense SmarTrip cards that are already loaded with an amount selected by the customer, the same way as it dispensed farecards? If the latter, it's a big improvement and should make it less confusing for new riders.

[JDC]

A MetroForward Facebook post from yesterday said Metro is now halfway done with the conversion of machines to sell only cards. That post had a link to a page I had not seen updated in awhile that has a more specific breakdown of status. http://www.wmata.com/fares/paperless.cfm?#progress

[JDC]

A Wash Post story from yesterday, 12/2/15, reports that as of today, 12/3, Metro is no longer selling paper farecards. They managed to complete the transition a month ahead of schedule - which for Metro is somewhat shocking. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- ... are-cards/

[JDC]

Metro's press release: http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/P ... aseID=6002.

I wonder how Metro is going to tackle the next step, not accepting paper farecards at gates. There are, after all, many more gates than fare machines. I wonder if they will start on Blue line like before and work their way north. Also, will they remove the slot for paper cards, or just stick something over it. If it's the latter, I can see disgruntled riders pulling it off and sticking in the farecard.

[srepetsk]

I would have to guess that they won't modify the existing fare gates at all; they just will refuse to help anybody attempting to use a paper card after March when "stop working". The cheapest option would be to just stop maintenance on the paper parts of the gates at that point.

[Sand Box John]

For historical prospective, the first paper farecard was sold on 07 01 1977, the last was sold on 12 02 2015.

That works out to 38 years, 3 months and 1 day.

If you add the time they will still be allowed to be used you end up with 38 years, 8 months and 5 days.

For those that were not around on 03 29 1976 on the first day of revenue operations, fare were tendered with cash or tokens dropped in a bus fare box kiosk in front of the station managers kiosk, as the vendor supplying automatic fare collection equipment (Cubic Western) had not delivered and installed fare collection equipment prior to the first day revenue operations in 1976. Automatic fare collection began on the first day the Blue line opened between National Airport and Stadium - Armory.

[JDC]

Just wanted to bump this thread because, starting with the commencement of operations this Sunday March 6, at 7:00 AM, Metro will no longer accept paper farecards at the gates. So, use them before tonight's closing!

[farecard]

I had missed the detail that WMATA had pulled the standalone Cubix card selling machines, and incorporated card sales into the refill machines. I found out the hard way while looking for the standalone box.....

I guess with the end of farecards, there was room inside the box to install a dispenser.

It's nice that you can buy an initial value of your choosing.