WMATA considering making REX buses cashless

Metro announced Thursday that it is considering instituting cashless boarding on certain limited-stop routes, including the Richmond Highway Express (REX).

The transit agency wants the public’s feedback on the idea before doing anything though. Metro will gather comments online, through the mail and during a Sept. 17 public hearing at Metro Headquarters. The deadline for submitting comments is Sept. 24.

The process of boarding and paying can take up as much as 25 percent of a bus trip’s total time, Metro said in a press release. The agency is looking to shorten that time by allowing riders to only pay with SmarTrip cards — which allow a rider to simply tap a fare box while boarding — thus reducing delays by riders inserting paper money or coins. Customers would also no longer be able to add money to their SmarTrip cards at the console.

“Research shows that cash payments take significantly longer than SmarTrip taps, and takes even longer when customers add value to a SmarTrip card at the farebox,” Metro said in the release. “These transactions cause the bus to hold longer at the bus stop, resulting in a longer trip for all riders.”

Metro currently has a cash-free pilot program for a limited-stop bus route in Maryland. That six-month pilot concludes in December.

Other transit agencies have already have cashless boarding systems, including in London. New York’s MTA has also recently proposed making some bus routes cashless.

Aside from REX, the other limited-stop routes being considered for cashless boarding include:

• 16Y (Virginia and D.C.)
• 37 (D.C.)
• 39 (D.C. and Maryland)
• 59 (D.C.)
• A9 (D.C.)
• G9 (D.C.)
• J4 (Maryland)
• K9 (D.C. and Maryland)
• S9 (D.C.)
• X9 (D.C.)
• Metroway (Alexandria and Arlington)

Riders can get more information and give feedback on the proposal on this page.