News

Should WMATA Pay When Metrobus Pass Holders Ride ART?

Arlington’s ART bus system may stop honoring Metrobus passes if WMATA doesn’t start sharing revenue, according to Michael Perkins at Greater Greater Washington.

While regional bus providers like ART are compensated when SmarTrip holders pay for individual rides, so far there is no revenue-sharing agreement for SmartTrip (and paper) “flash passes.”

Arlington County board member Chris Zimmerman, who also sits on WMATA’s Board of Directors, says that the current system is unfair to regional providers.

The county board has given ART the leeway to stop accepting the Metrobus pass if a revenue-sharing agreement cannot be reached. In that scenario, ART would instead issue its own pass, Perkins reports.