The notion that we’d all like to do more with our SmarTrip cards isn’t new – we’ve been calling for such improvements for quite some time. So, it was understandable that we were encouraged by reports released last winter which indicated SmarTrip cards would be able to be automatically reloaded like E-Z Passes by the end of 2008.

In hindsight, we probably should have been more pessimistic. The Post reported earlier this week that the office in charge of the upgrades to SmarTrip has wasted significant chunks of time and money over the past few years. Consequently, arrival dates for “customer-oriented improvements” previously scheduled to be in place by the end of this calendar year are being pushed back for two more years – including the oft-pined-for chance to have Metro and Metro-affiliated passes stored in plastic instead of paper.

A small consolation can be found in that you might not have to wait until 2010 to add funds to your SmarTrip card while picking up a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. Public affairs blogger Infosnack Headquarters peppered Metro with many a question regarding potential future SmarTrip upgrades. One confirmation? Passengers should be able reload SmarTrips at local Giant grocery stores, hopefully starting this fall.

Infosnack’s report also notes that Metro is still working on its joint initiative with the DMV to insert SmarTrip RFID chips into driver’s licenses in the District, which a majority of you said you were ready for back in November 2007. And if you’re looking to get a keychain version of your SmarTrip card, you’re still stuck doing it the old-fashioned way – Metro “didn’t comment on whether users could modify SmarTrip cards by disassembling them and incorporating them into other objects like clothing.”