There are many types of Metro riders out there. The Weekend Warriors who bring their kids in to the city for museums and monuments. Empty Nesters who come to see a show and have dinner. Students who ride three days a week to classes. City dwellers who ride to the grocery store and to visit friends. And of course, the intrepid commuter, who braves the rails every day to keep the federal government and all its hangers on chugging along from 9-5 each day.

While D.C. is not unlike many other cities in the nature of the people who ride its transit, it is different in the way it charges them. Many other cities such as Boston, San Fransisco, and Chicago each have some sort of monthly pass to reward the most regular users of transit (yes, we know New York has one too, but it’s wicked expensive, as they say in Boston). While the cost of such a pass varies from city to city, it usually averages out to around the cost of 44-56 rides. That is about the number rides your average commuter will take each month – two rides a day for 22-23 days.

While infrequent users would not see a discount under such a program, others might be encouraged to ride Metro into and around the city a few extra days each month, rather than drive. The program would not hurt Metro’s bottom line much either. The number of people who do ride Metro more than twice a day should be relatively small, and a discount for certain commuters might increase overall ridership. It would also give Metro more financial certainty – cash would come it at the beginning of each month, rather trickling in over the course of 30 days.

Other cities have had success building their ridership with a monthly pass. While our Orange Line friends might question the need to grow ridership any further, we still love to see more people riding Metro.