Metro is angling to get out ahead of the ride-share crowd this New Year’s Eve by offering free rides and extended hours to accommodate partygoers, the transit agency announced.
Starting at 8 p.m. on December 31, all trains, buses, or paratransit options will be free of charge. Additionally, Metrorail will run until 2 a.m., while Metrobus service on select routes — for customers connecting from trains to buses — will be operational until 3 a.m.
Normal Metrorail and Metrobus fares will apply prior to 8 p.m., Metro officials announced. After that time, faregates at stations will remain open, so passengers will have “no need to tap a SmarTrip card,” Metro officials said in a release.
Even though hours will be extended, last train times will vary by station, according to the agency. Customers leaving events throughout the region can monitor those times using Metro’s Station page. In Virginia, Metrobus routes extended until 3 a.m. include 1A, 7A, 10A, 16E, 23B, 28A, and 38B.
Normal fares and service hours for Metrobus and Metrorail, meanwhile, will resume on January 1 at 4 a.m. and 7 a.m., respectively. On January 1 and January 2 — New Year’s Day observed — Metrorail will operate from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Metro officials also noted that customers accessing the agency’s Trip Planner may not see the extended service times reflected while using the tool. This, the release said, is due to extreme weather over the Christmas holiday that derailed a Metro data center and caused delays in real-time information.
Additional information on train schedules, bus routes, and more, including transportation accessibility in DC and Maryland, can be found here.
Feature image courtesy Country Prod./stock.adobe.com
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