Press Releases - Department of Transportation

SmarTrip® Cards Issued Before 2012 Need to Be Replaced by Tuesday, March 1

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 1, 2022

WMATA will require riders to have newer farecards starting Tuesday, March 1. If the serial number on the back of your card does not include “0167,” it needs to be replaced. For step-by-step instructions on how to replace old cards or transfer balances including SmartBenefits to another card, visit the SmarTrip Card Replacement page. Customers can easily replace their old farecards by mail, online, phone or in-person,and transfer any balance to a new or existing SmarTrip card or virtual card through SmarTrip mobile pay for iOS and Android.

Faster, better faregates are making it easier for customers to tap, pay and ride Metro with installation now reaching nearly 50 percent of all Metrorail stations, one-third of which are complete. The new faregate system is part of Metro’s fare modernization program to improve the rail system’s faregates and fareboxes on Metrobus, along with other fare technology upgrades, including mobile pay on Apple iOS and Android.

In conjunction with the rollout of the new faregates, and bus fareboxes in late 2022, Metro announced last April that older SmarTrip® cards will be phased out. SmarTrip cards purchased prior to 2012 contain outdated chip technology and do not work with the new faregates now installed or partially installed at nearly half of all stations. Beginning March 1, the old farecards will no longer be accepted at fare gates, fare vending machines in stations, fareboxes on buses, parking facilities and retail locations. As of Feb. 7, customers are not able to add value to old cards online. Additionally, Metro has started to discontinue the ability to add money to old, obsolete cards at fare vending machines in all stations currently with new faregates. Labels will be added to indicate which machines no longer process the old cards. This will help customers avoid putting additional funds on cards that do not work in those stations.

All passengers are required to wear face coverings when traveling by public transportation. Riders must continue wearing the covering for the entire time of their trip.

For other Montgomery County transportation information, follow @MCDOTNow on Twitter, visit the department website at montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, and subscribe to MCDOT’s Go Montgomery! biweekly newsletter.

 

Release ID: 22-030
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta 240-372-2282