Metro Rate Hikes, Longer Waits Possible in Next Budget: Metro Authority

Less than a week and a half after a deadly smoke evacuation on the Yellow Line, the Metro is exploring the possibility of raising fare prices.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority released a proposed fiscal year 2016 budget Tuesday that explores a fare increase option.

If each ticket for Metrobus and Metrorail is increased $0.10, as proposed in the document, it would generate $22 million in revenue. The raised price would also affect MetroAccess as long as the fare policy remains the same.

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Additional changes that could go into effect include longer wait times with trains arriving every eight minutes instead of six during peak hours and from 12 minutes to 15 or 15 to 20 for off-peak. If the proposal is approved then passengers per car will increase 25 percent to 35 percent during peak hours.

The changes have been proposed to lessen the increased burden on municipalities that help operate the Metro budget. With these changes, an initial request in November of an additional $140 million over contributions to FY2015 has been reduced to $98 million in additional cash needed.

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