As Metro Fares Rise, So Do Parking Hassles

Commuters Encounter Long Lines at SmarTrip Machines

The cost of getting to work went up today for many people who take public transportation in the Washington region.

When subway passengers reached the turnstiles and bus riders stepped up to the fare box, they had their first weekday experience with the fare increases approved by Metro's board of directors this month.

The trip home today was a little more complicated for some of those who park at Metro's 33 garages and lots. They found it not only cost more to park, but also, they had to pay with SmarTrip cards -- the prepaid and reusable electronic cards that have replaced cash payments at all the parking exits.

Metro spokeswoman Linda Farbstein said there were backups this afternoon at vending machines, which were not able to handle all the credit card transactions for SmarTrip card purchasers. Metro officials pleaded with commuters to feed cash into the machines instead.

Metro had already stationed employees at the exits to give out information and help solve problems for those unfamiliar with the SmarTrip system. Nearly 80 percent of drivers already pay for parking with the cards, which can be purchased for $5 before exiting, and can also be used to pay for subway rides and, increasingly, for bus rides.

Starting Sunday, the minimum subway fare rose by 15 cents to $1.35, while the maximum peak rail fare rose 30 cents to $3.90. The local bus fare increased by a nickel to $1.25, though the weekly bus pass remained unchanged at $11.

The price to park at Metro facilities each day rose today by 75 cents, and monthly reserved parking rose by $10 to $45.

Metro leaders said the fare and fee increases were necessary to keep pace with rapidly rising costs that have led to a projected $23.4 million deficit in the system's $940 million operating budget. The increases are expected to raise $29.2 million, and Metro plans to return the additional money to the localities that subsidize the system.

It was the second summer in a row that riders found themselves paying more to ride the Washington area's main transit system, any many weren't pleased about that.

Several riders said they wouldn't mind paying more for Metrobus or rail if service improved.

"I don't mind the nickel increase if they clean the buses up," said Theodore Nowlin, 51, a District resident and Metrobus rider. "The buses are filthy. The seats are dirty. Two or there times a week, people are scared to sit down on the seats because they're so dirty."

"We're paying more for diminished service," said Dunham Rowley, 59, a Metro Red Line rider who commutes between Union Station and Dupont Circle. "It's just gone down hill. It's not a very good service."

Others were more accepting. "Everything goes up," said Susan Rivera, 36, a Centreville resident who parks at the Vienna Station and takes the Orange Line to McPherson Square each workday. "The cost of living goes up. I'm okay with it as long as the service is good. It's a convenience."

Still others tried to get around the increases. Sean McPhilomy, 38, a consultant from Fairfax County, has stopped parking at the Dunn Loring Metro station and instead searches for free parking spots in the surrounding neighborhood. "I just don't think I should be paying more for parking as well as for the train," he said.

Metro expects to lose 14,000 rail passengers and 3,200 bus riders because of the higher costs. But the cost of commuting hasn't gotten any better for drivers, either. Sandy Proteau said she's been watching gas prices tick up consistently for weeks, causing her entertainment budget to slip down. Proteau starts her drive each morning in Annandale and sometimes has to make a few out-of-the-way stops before ending up at her job in Alexandria.

She also said she has taken to mapping out efficient routes for work and pleasure to cut down on using so much gas.

"We find that we don't do as much riding around," Proteau said. "We map the way we're going to minimize gas use and sometimes we don't do it, we'll just do it tomorrow."

The only perk she finds in all her driving is that she knows where the cheap gas stations in Northern Virginia are. (There's a cheap Hess in Falls Church, she reports.) Still, her 1989 Volvo swallows as much as two tanks a week, which can cost her $40 to $45 and is enough to crimp her budget.

"It impacts everything," Proteau said. "It impacts your spending, your cash that you would normally have to go out to dinner."

So instead of nights on the town, Proteau said she has been downshifting to nights by the backyard grill. Proteau is lucky in one way: She works for a car dealer that does all her mechanical work.