Metro’s fare vending machines have sold their last paper farecards, marking an important milestone in the process of phasing out the older payment method. Customers purchasing fare media at any Metrorail station will receive a SmarTrip card – not a paper farecard – from the vending machines.
The process to retrofit fare vending machines and discontinue all sales of paper farecards began in October and was completed a month ahead of schedule. Metro upgraded more than 450 ‘blue’ fare vending machines in every Metrorail station to dispense SmarTrip cards only. The final two stations – Anacostia and Naylor Road – were completed in December.
SmarTrip technology uses no moving parts, a sharp contrast from the highly mechanical system of belts, pulleys, readers and ink stamps that are involved with processing paper farecards. Similar to the issues found in copy machines, paper farecards are prone to getting jammed, which can take a faregate out of service.
Reusable SmarTrip technology, also eliminates the waste produced by the millions of paper farecards sold each year. Over the past three years, Metro has sold more than 38 million paper farecards. Stretched end-to-end, that’s enough to go from Washington, DC to Las Vegas.
Faregates will continue to accept paper farecards to enter and exit the rail system until March 6. After that, riders holding paper farecards will still be able to transfer the value from paper to SmarTrip at rail stations with brown fare machines or Metro sales offices through June.
