A Metro news release distributed over the weekend reminded riders of the fare and schedule changes that went into effect Sunday. Subheads detailed new service levels on the rails, changes to bus schedules and fare increases, all of which riders have particularly bemoaned given three major service disruptions over four days.
Those reading through the release might have called it quits near the bottom after a mention of a 10-cent parking fee increase at most stations. And perhaps that’s what Metro was hoping for when it decided to tuck in a “Technical correction to fare tables” at the bottom of the release.
The notice — printed in size 12 font, according to an app that measures font size — noted that fewer than 5 percent of riders had been charged incorrect fares for at least the last three years, with some being overcharged, and others being undercharged for each trip. Dwarfed by size 16 print of the information up top, the tiny paragraph said the net effect of the errors meant Metro undercharged customers about $124,000 over the course of a year.
The good news is that SmarTrip card holders affected by any net overcharges over $2 between 2015 and 2017 will be issued an automatic credit this summer. There was no mention of those who had been undercharged being fined for the glitch.