Metro: Flat Fares? Rush Plus?

Matt Johnson, a Montgomery County planner and Greenbelt resident, has an interesting post on Greater Greater Washington about how flat fares might be a good idea for New York and Boston, but they're a bad idea for the D.C. Metro.

"What the flat fare really means is that people making shorter trips (often those living in the urban core) will be subsidizing those making longer trips (often those living in the suburbs). And that's simply not equitable," Johnson writes.

And if you compare distances, D.C. actually comes out less expensive than other cities, and he has maps and charts to prove it.

--

This week, Metro released a video to explain it's new Rush Plus program, which will help Orange, Yellow and Blue line riders. Also this week, Metro announced a seven-day SmarTrip card.

--

Red Line track work starts at 10 p.m. Friday between the Rhode Island Avenue and Silver Spring stations. Buses will connect riders between the stations. The subway also plans Blue Line work this weekend in Virginia.

--

At Ashburn Patch, Loudoun County resident David LaRock writes that if his county chooses to become a partner with Metro, the county will inherit some of Metro's financial needs, which could then trigger tax increases.

"Opting out would not prevent Metro from coming to the Dulles Airport. Opting out also would allow Loudoun to thoroughly analyze the proposal and renegotiate. The current proposal is full of TBD items that simply will not be answered without serious negotiations that could not possibly take place in the short time that remains under the current arrangement," write LaRock, who is a member of Loudoun Opt Out.