Sep 30, 2024 - Transit

Metro might finally get tap-and-pay next year

Mimi Montgomery

A photo of a Metro station with a train arriving. — Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

You might be able to use a credit card or Apple Pay to ride the Metro starting in 2025.

Why it matters: Let's be real, we've all envied New York subway riders and their tap-to-ride system while we fumble for our SmarTrip cards.

State of play: Metro general manager Randy Clarke wants an "open payment" fare system ahead of next year's World Pride 2025 event, he told the WMATA board during a meeting last week.

World Pride will run from May 23-June 8, 2025.

What they're saying: "We know we're going to have hundreds of thousands, ultimately a couple million, people for this event and we want to make it as seamless as possible for people to tap and go into the system," Clarke said during the meeting.

The big picture: Metro is ending the fiscal year with a $28 million surplus due to cost cutting.

This comes after it faced a $750 million budget gap in part due to decreased ridership.

Add Axios on Google

Metro might finally get tap-and-pay next year

More Washington D.C. stories