WMATA news release 6/24/17:
Technical correction to fare tables
As part of scheduled fare adjustments, Metro will make technical corrections to a small subset of fares to address certain distance calculation errors. Metro’s fares are distance-based. The adjustments affect fewer than five percent of rail trips; of those, most are off +/- 5 cents from the new fare based on updated distance calculations. (The overall net effect of these discrepancies meant Metro actually undercharged customers about $124,000 over the course of a year – an amount that represents 0.007 % of Metro’s operating budget.) Metro will issue an automatic credit this summer to registered SmarTrip card holders for any net overcharges exceeding $2 between 2015 and 2017.
WTOP radio, 6/26/17:
Some Metro fares wrong for years; some riders to get refunds
WASHINGTON — Up to five percent of Metro riders paid incorrect fares for at least the last three years, Metro acknowledged as new rush-hour fares rolled out Monday.
A small but significant group of riders were charged more than they should have been for each trip, but a number of fares were also set lower than Metro’s formulas call for. The net impact of the overcharges and undercharges was that Metro has collected about $372,000 less than it should have since July 2014.
There are no plans to attempt to collect additional fares from riders who were undercharged. Riders who were overcharged and who have continuously used a SmarTrip should receive an automatic credit this summer for part of the additional money paid.
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