How many times have you been standing in front of the SmarTrip card machine and someone new to the D.C. area — or a tourist — looks at you pleading for help?
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Soon, that may be a thing of the past, thanks to Tap Ride Go.
The system allows people to pay for their Metrorail rides right at the turnstile by tapping their credit card, debit card, or phone.
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said testing has started at a variety of stations, and is scheduled to be available systemwide by the end of the month. Currently, 130 employees and volunteers are taking part in the test.
This could not come at a better time with millions of people expected to visit Washington, D.C. during WorldPride, which starts this weekend.
WTOP went inside the Metro Center station to ask riders about their thoughts on Tap Ride Go.
One of those who is ready to use the system is lifelong Washingtonian, Seven. She told WTOP she started using her phone to pay after adding her SmarTrip card to her Apple Wallet.
“It’s so much easier,” Seven said. “I can tap it, even if my phone is locked.”
A person who hoped the new payment system had already started was Ken Winkler. The owner of the boutique travel concierge, the Curated Trip, plans vacations for people around the world.
Winkler said he points out to his clients that when they load up a SmarTrip card, they will always come home with extra money on the card, which will be wasted.
“It’s a lot less efficient than being able to tap in and tap out,” Winkler said. “I can’t imagine who wouldn’t want it. It seems incredibly efficient and easy. It moves people through faster. There’s a ton of benefits and I don’t see a downside.”
Not everyone is singing the praises of Tap Ride Go.
“I would not,” Pamala of Baltimore City said of using her phone to pay for Metro. “I don’t trust having all those things connected to my phone.”
When asked if she would be sticking with her SmarTrip card, she laughed and said, “Yes, I’m old school.”
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