Starting Jan. 8, Metro will no longer allow passengers to exit the system with a negative balance on their SmarTrip cards, WTOP radio reported Friday.
Under the new policy, a passenger whose balance would have gone into the red at the turnstile of his or her destination station would have to turn around and top it off at an exit-fare machine, WTOP reported.
But that could prove an additional hassle to frazzled passengers on the beleaguered transit system. Exit-fare machines currently in service are not equipped to take credit cards, only cash and coins, WTOP reported.
The same is true aboard the systems bus fleet, meaning negative-balance passengers would be turned away from riding, according to the report.
Adding value to SmarTrip cards can be done at any Metrorail station and some retail locations such as select CVS pharmacies and Giant grocery store locations in the D.C. area.
Currently a SmarTrip user can exit a Metrorail station and incur a negative balance, but is then required to return his or her account to the black before crossing a turnstile to ride the rails again.
Of course, not all SmarTrip users — including out-of-town tourists — end up replenishing the account for additional rides, and little by little it’s added up to some $25 million in lost revenue, according to Metro, WTOP reported.
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