September 2, 2010 | 3:22 PM | By

Speak up for SmarTrip negativity on GGW!

FILED UNDER: Public Transportation, City Paper, Metro, SmarTrip, WMATA

Mr. T in DC

Mr. T in DC's SmarTrip Card

Greater Greater Washington‘s founder, David Alpert, (who, incidentally, is the subject of a cover story on “Smart Growth” for the latest edition of the City Paper) is calling on readers to go over six possible alternatives to WMATA’s plan to no longer allow SmarTrip cards to have a negative balance.

WMATA raised the hackles of many riders when it announced SmarTrips would no longer go negative. Responding to the outcry, CFO Carol Kissal and her team developed six alternatives for handing the issue, which they presented to the Riders’ Advisory Council last night.

RAC members complimented Kissal and her team on presenting a number of options and seeking rider feedback. While it would have been better to get more feedback before the initial announcement, the followup garnered more praise. The WMATA Board will discuss the issue on September 16th.

Options include rebates, capping the negative balance, requiring a minimum fare to enter and three more possibilities which are laid out in detail at GGW. I’m not going to lie– my head was spinning a bit by the time I got through the post, but it’s an important read because Alpert is going to compile comments and send them to Carol Kissal. Have your say, here.

About the author

DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi. View all posts by Anna →

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