By Lena H. Sun
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 2, 2007

Twenty-six area Giant supermarkets began selling SmarTrip cards yesterday, the plastic, reusable Farecards used on Metro buses and trains, agency officials said.

Until now, fewer than a dozen retailers, including a few Giant stores, sold the cards. They can also be bought online and at Metro sales offices, commuter stores and vending machines at subway stations with parking facilities.

But officials have been trying to make it easier for customers -- especially those without access to computers and cars -- to buy the plastic Farecards. Like transit agencies elsewhere, Metro wants more riders to use the cards instead of cash and paper tickets because they save the agency money and speed riders through the system.

Under a fare proposal that will be the subject of public hearings in two weeks, Metro's board has recommended increasing fares for cash-paying bus riders by 10 cents, to $1.35, but keeping fares unchanged for those paying with SmarTrip cards.

The selected Giant stores, chosen based on their proximity to public transportation, among other factors, will be selling the $5 SmarTrip cards at their customer service desks. A total of 900 cards were given to the supermarket chain, and Giant officials divided them among participating stores. More will be sent to the stores as needed.

By making the cards more widely available, "we hope to get the cards into the hands of more and more customers," Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said in a statement.

Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato said officials want to expand the SmarTrip sales to other retailers, such as pharmacy chain CVS, as well as other grocers. For now, riders buying SmarTrip cards at Giant will need to add money to the cards on the bus or at rail stations in order to cover their fares. At the vending machines at subway stations, the minimum cost of the cards is $10, which includes $5 for the card. The cards are the only way to pay for parking at all but a handful of Metro facilities.

Asato said Metro would eventually like to expand the program to allow customers to add value to their SmarTrip cards at neighborhood retailers.

Metro introduced the cards in 1999, and expanded it to Metrobus riders in 2004. Currently, 63 percent of Metrorail riders and 21 percent of bus riders use the cards.