It’ll cost a minimum of $2.25 to ride Metrorail during peak hours and $2 for Metrobus, among other changes approved today.

Metro made some small changes to its 2018 “Reality Check” budget, which will be reviewed by its board’s finance committee on Thursday.

Higher fares on Metro are a step closer to reality—a committee voted yesterday to charge us more to ride buses and trains.

Starting today and proceeding over the next two weeks, Metro will take public input on proposed fare hikes at six hearings in Maryland, Virginia and the District.

Ahead of six public hearings starting next week, Metro wants your input on a proposed slate of fare hikes that may go into effect by this summer.

Photo by Chris DiGiamo WMATA has released its schedule for public hearings on next year’s budget proposal. The transit agency is facing a $189 million budget gap in fiscal year 2011, and a variety of fare hikes and service reductions are on the table. Members of the public are invited to comment on those proposals (you can read through them all here) at six public hearings in March and April. All hearings are scheduled…

Photo by Kevin H. After months of grim budget headlines and a series of public meetings to gather input on how to handle it, Metro’s board met Thursday to talk concretely for the first time about looming fare hikes. The board is being asked to consider a combination of fare increases, service reductions, administrative cuts and dipping into the capital budget to help close an estimated $175.4 million gap in Metro’s FY2011 operating budget….

Photo by Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie WMATA plans to scrounge up $36 million from a combination of stimulus funds, inaugural reimbursements, surplus reserves and insurance money to deal with its widening budget gap for the 2010 fiscal year, both the Post and the Examiner are reporting. The drop-off in ridership since the June 22 Red Line crash has left Metro scrambling for a way to make it through the current fiscal year, which…

It’s Friday, Washington, and reactions are still rolling in to Metro’s approval of its largest fare hikes ever. We all knew this was coming, but we’re curious to hear if any of our readers actually plan to make changes to their commuting habits come January 6, when the increases will go into effect. Do you think you’ll ride Metro any less, or finally make the leap to using SmarTrip? Let us know in the comments….

The Post is reporting that in an 8-2 vote, Metro’s finance committee has approved a series of fare hikes at their full meeting today. The plan they approved was the one recently offered by Maryland members of the board, which is less expensive for suburban customers who park and ride. The vote basically guarantees that the full board will approve the fare hikes later today. Here’s how the new fares will break down: >> The…