DCist: SmarTrip Could Be Sold at CVS Stores

AMDCer

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0500

econosize: True - wish I had SmartBenefits, but as I usually walk to work and only take the bus on occasion I don't. Maybe I could get my company to subsidize my shoe leather?

econosize

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:04:44 -0500

But you can only reload with cash on the bus, which isn't terribly helpful if you have smart benefits. I think they have Nats cards on the metro website, but, come on...of all the DCish stuff to put on a smart trip card...

AMDCer

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:57:01 -0500

While I agree that it would be great to reload a Smartrip card online (or at a CVS or whatever), it's really NOT THAT DIFFICULT to reload them on the bus. I've done it a number of times - no big deal. If I know I'm going to do it I let everyone else get on first so I don't hold up the boarding process. Great idea about inaugural (and other) commemorative cards!

jakers

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:52:32 -0500

Yep, things can go further, but kudos to them for this deal. It's a great step forward.

acdc

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:49:30 -0500

Having just located to Taipei, Taiwan, I'm amazed at what one can do at the local 7-11 convenience store: pay all utility bills, pay cell phone bills, buy or refill the equivalent of SmartTrip cards, pay for parking tickets, and send FedEx packages, etc.

perkinsms

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:41:27 -0500

Metro should get ready for the inauguration and sell commemorative Smartrip cards for $20 each. Come on, there are people paying $1000 a night for a hotel room. You can reload Smartrip on the bus. Automatic refill and online reloading are coming next year.

Rukasu

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:10:54 -0500

WMATA needs to take a cue from Hong Kong... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card

caryoreilly

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:42:55 -0500

Now if only the wise leaders at Metro would realize what a gold mine they are sitting on and start slapping pictures of pandas, sports logos etc. on the cards. Tourists and locals who collect such things would snap them up at $10 a pop and never use them! Free money for Metro! Is that so hard to understand? Transit systems around the world do this because they actually seem to think ways of raising revenue beyond higher fares and system advertising. Imagine. Here's hoping Metro catches on soon.

loganmo

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:40:22 -0500

Great...so instead of having to wait behind fat-ass waddling women filling the farebox on the S1 with nickles and dimes, I will have to wait behind them in CVS loading $1.35 on their smart card twice a day.

TheCounter

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:28:55 -0500

I agree, refilling them needs to be much simpler. If I can add money to my Starbucks card online, and set it to add money automatically when my Starbucks card falls below a certain dollar amount, surely Metro can figure out how to do it. Next challenge: why on earth do I need to go through the pointless step of downloading my SmartBenefits onto my SmarTrip every month? It seems like an unnecessary extra step. Maybe employers hope that their employees will forget to do it, and then the employer can keep the money? Uhh, no, I will not forget to not pay for my commute, sorry.

Principia

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:34:01 -0500

Selling them is great, but how about refilling them? It would be really nice if Metro started expanding the locations of the machines to add money to the cards. If this is cost-free to Metro, I think no matter what transaction you're making, you'll have to wait for a person behind the counter. It doesn't sound like they're talking about putting the big fare machines in the stores; if it's not a person-to-person transaction then they're probably just putting in the small machines that do nothing but sell cards like they have at West Falls Church.

EvilOlive

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:15:48 -0500

I agree--reloading them would be key. Especially since CVS's are on every corner. Chicago has done this with Currency Exchanges and Jewel-Osco, but I've heard that lines can sometimes be long at the refilling machines. Reloading locations would be especially important in areas with a lot of bus lines but no rail stations nearby.

sg5608a

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:08:28 -0500

Selling them is great, but how about refilling them? It would be really nice if Metro started expanding the locations of the machines to add money to the cards.