Low-income residents who are enrolled in SNAP benefits will qualify for a new Metro half-off fare discount. The program, called Metro Lift, starts June 20.

Metro has long wanted to launch a program for poorer residents of the region as a way to reduce the cost burden of using public transit.

“Low-income households are the most likely to be burdened by the costs of using public transit, the most likely to forego using transit due to cost, and the least likely to have alternative travel options,” Metro wrote back in 2019. Metro has mulled the idea but approved the program in its budget earlier this year.

The transit agency estimates more than 90,000 riders will benefit from Metro Lift, which is estimated to cost about $4 million, but is expected to generate an additional 1.6 million trips.

Those that want to enroll in the program can do so online at wmata.com/MetroLift on June 20 (the site has not launched yet) or in person on June 26. Enrollment centers include the Metro Center Rail Station Mezzanine, the Metro Office Building at L’Enfant Plaza, and the Metro Office Building at New Carrollton.

They’ll have to provide contact info, their physical or virtual SmarTrip card number, and photos of their state-issued photo ID and SNAP EBT card. The discounts will be applied to their existing cards and will be available 48 hours after enrolling online or immediately if you enroll in person. Customers will have to re-enroll every year.

Officials chose the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as an income eligibility criterion because it was easiest to verify without having to request tax documents or pay stubs. Income, among other factors, determines SNAP eligibility.

Metro offers other discounts, too, with seniors and people with disabilities paying $1 for regular Metrobus routes instead of the standard $2. And students going to school get free rides on Metrobus, DC Circulator, and Metrorail within the District.

In the future, Metro hopes to create an online application process for those programs, but for now, recipients must apply in person.

The discounts come at a time when Metro is hoping to increase equity but also faces a $750 million budget gap in the upcoming year as ridership remains about 50% of pre-pandemic levels and federal COVID relief funding is running out.

The program is rolling out ahead of schedule. Metro initially expected it would take until fall to set up.

Metro joins 15 other transit agencies in the country that offer a low-income fare.

“If we actually care about equity, and getting more people back in the system, and truly driving access to opportunity, these are awesome changes, for very little dollars,” WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke said when he pitched his budget last year.

Meanwhile, D.C.’s attempt to make buses free for all rides in the District stalled during budget negotiations. That program’s future is unclear.