Tourists would take hit under Metro fare proposal

Adam Tuss, wtop.com

FALLS CHURCH, VA – What do out-of-towners think about Metro?

It’s obviously a small sample size, but a couple of friends visiting from Wilmington, Del., and Atlanta had glowing comments about the transit agency Friday.

“I love it,” the Atlanta resident said outside the East Falls Church station. “There’s no other Metro subway system I’ve been on that is as good as this one.”

“Compared to New York City, forget it. This one you feel really safe on,” said the Wilmington resident.

However, as Metro considers another round of fare increases to help balance its budget, out-of-towners could be counted on to pick up a lot of the slack.

Under a recent proposal, a “visitor zone” would be set up to charge those using paper farecards $4 for a one-way trip within the zone, and $6 one-way if they travel outside of that zone.

“That’s too much money,” said the Atlanta resident.

“Definitely too much,” agreed the Wilmington resident.

Both used paper farecards to make the trip from Union Station to East Falls Church.

So would they abandon the system if that increase kicks in?

“Would there be a cheaper way?” asked the Atlanta resident.

“No, I would still take it. But I wouldn’t be happy with that increase,” said the Wilmington resident.

Follow Adam Tuss and WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up