Just an interesting read about getting the perfect amount of money on your NYC subway fare card, here.
Thankfully (?), D.C. doesn't have flat fares and I can literally put the $5.90 it costs me to go from Shady Grove to Judiciary Square, on my SmarTrip card, when I ride the Metro.
Happy Monday, all!
Showing posts with label SmarTrip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SmarTrip. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
RIP SmarTrip card
Today is a sad day in the history of my public transit days. I had to say goodbye to my original SmarTrip card. For you Londoners, it's like your Oyster Card, or for Red Sox fans, the Charlie Card; the SmarTrip is just DC's version.
Originally intended and marketed for daily commuters, the DC Metro now incentivizes purchasing these for anyone traveling on Metro as it's an additional $1, each way, for using a paper fare card, and as DC commuters are aware, it's already pretty expensive to ride the Metro. It is a minimum $10 to purchase -- $2 for the actual card and $8 pre-loaded onto it when you buy it.
I remember when Metro first came out with these and they became the necessary method of exiting a paid parking facility of Metro. Once, in the early days, my mother and I had a hilarious time thinking we could pay cash to leave the lot and there was no attendant to pay. So we backed out over the curb and grass to exit the lot, versus just running back to the station to buy one of these puppies. Whoops! Now, thankfully, you can use credit card OR SmarTrip to pay for parking at a Metro lot.
Originally intended and marketed for daily commuters, the DC Metro now incentivizes purchasing these for anyone traveling on Metro as it's an additional $1, each way, for using a paper fare card, and as DC commuters are aware, it's already pretty expensive to ride the Metro. It is a minimum $10 to purchase -- $2 for the actual card and $8 pre-loaded onto it when you buy it.
I remember when Metro first came out with these and they became the necessary method of exiting a paid parking facility of Metro. Once, in the early days, my mother and I had a hilarious time thinking we could pay cash to leave the lot and there was no attendant to pay. So we backed out over the curb and grass to exit the lot, versus just running back to the station to buy one of these puppies. Whoops! Now, thankfully, you can use credit card OR SmarTrip to pay for parking at a Metro lot.
On the top is my new card, purchased fresh this morning and the bottom, is my fairly in good shape original one. Recently, every time I went in and out of the turn stalls, I'd have to swipe it 3 or 4 times to get it to register, if it registered at all. Even more recently, it'd usually not work after those few swipes, so I'd go to the purchase machines and get it to at least register on them...then it would seem to work to pass through the gates.
In the past few days, I had to resort to going to the Metro attendants and have them "reactivate" or swipe it in their magic machine to make cards work. I tried to see how long I could do this as I had more than $30 left on the old card. Well, I couldn't hold out any longer. I became that person whose card didn't work and was holding up the line, pretty much every time. I'll figure out how to use the money on there, whether it's to pay in a parking lot on the way out, or just use it when it's not rush hour.
Either way, so long first SmarTrip card -- it's been a good decade-plus run. You were the OG of SmarTrip cards and I'll miss you. Well, not really that much.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
One missed connection...
Makes all the difference.
Last Friday, I had left work an hour or so early and had an errand to run in Logan Circle. As I walked into the Metro station, these were the thoughts in my head:
"Do I need to put money on my card? The next train is in 3 minutes. I have time. No, wait, I have plenty of money on my card, at least enough to get me to Farragut. Oh, $&*%, there's a train there now I could get on. The next one comes in 2 minutes now. I'll wait."
Stupidest decision ever.
I catch the next train and go the 7 minute ride to Farragut North. I walk the 13 minutes to Logan Circle at 14th Street, run my errand. It takes about 15 minutes. I walk back to the Farragut North station. All the while, while I'm walking, my feet are burning. I'm wearing new-ish flats, but I they've broken in enough that they aren't rubbing on my heels anymore. But for some reason the bottom of my feet are literally burning. So that slows down my pace.
At this point, I make the decision to continue onto Shady Grove, vs. taking the 10 minute ride back in the opposite direction to Union Station. That would just be back tracking.
I check, the train I need to catch in Rockville, I think, is at 5:39. It's just after 5pm as I get on the Metro at Farragut. I'm definitely going to cut it close. I realize after I get on the train and the doors close that I'm on a Grosvenor/Strathmore train. This means I have to get off and wait for the next train at Strathmore. At the station, we thankfully only have to wait 2 minutes for the next train. It is currently 5:35-ish. I'm thinking...it's a loss. I'll never go 3 stops, and cross over to the MARC platform from the Metro, in the next 5 minutes.
Then I double-check -- the train doesn't leave until 5:49 -- I'm saved!! I have the time. It will still be close and I can get there in 10 minutes. I will have to run, but by golly, I can do this.
As the train lets people off at Twinbrook, one stop away from Rockville, I see the MARC train whiz by. Gaaaah! My heart races. I still have at least 3 minutes until the train leaves.
We pull up at Rockville and I sprint out the Metro car to the escalator. I try not to mow too many people over, but as I get onto the escalator, I move to the left, only to get slowed down by a completely average person, going a completely average pace.
WHAT?!?! EVERYONE SHOULD BE RUNNING. THIS IS HOW RUSH HOUR WORKS!
As soon as I get past her at the bottom of the escalator, I sprint and, admittedly, rudely, cut in front of a gentleman at the turn stalls. And of course, wouldn't my SmarTrip card pick that moment not to be recognized by the reader. Gah.
I finally make it through and I hear people say "Look out!". The train whistle blows, so I haul my big butt up the stairs two at a time, see two people on the platform telling the guy "One more!" and as I reach the top of the stairs, the train is moving, the conductor is shaking his head and giving me the "Oh, so sorry" look.
Alas, I am out of breath, and now have to wait 21 minutes for the next one. I thank the kind people who tried to get the train to wait, and then I sit. I do my crossword and thankfully it's just my my husband having to wait a bit longer at the restaurant and he kindly asks me if I want a beer when I arrive.
That, my friends makes the burning feet and all the out-of-breath-ness worth it. Next time though, I'll run for the first train to not have to run for all the rest.
Last Friday, I had left work an hour or so early and had an errand to run in Logan Circle. As I walked into the Metro station, these were the thoughts in my head:
"Do I need to put money on my card? The next train is in 3 minutes. I have time. No, wait, I have plenty of money on my card, at least enough to get me to Farragut. Oh, $&*%, there's a train there now I could get on. The next one comes in 2 minutes now. I'll wait."
Stupidest decision ever.
I catch the next train and go the 7 minute ride to Farragut North. I walk the 13 minutes to Logan Circle at 14th Street, run my errand. It takes about 15 minutes. I walk back to the Farragut North station. All the while, while I'm walking, my feet are burning. I'm wearing new-ish flats, but I they've broken in enough that they aren't rubbing on my heels anymore. But for some reason the bottom of my feet are literally burning. So that slows down my pace.
At this point, I make the decision to continue onto Shady Grove, vs. taking the 10 minute ride back in the opposite direction to Union Station. That would just be back tracking.
I check, the train I need to catch in Rockville, I think, is at 5:39. It's just after 5pm as I get on the Metro at Farragut. I'm definitely going to cut it close. I realize after I get on the train and the doors close that I'm on a Grosvenor/Strathmore train. This means I have to get off and wait for the next train at Strathmore. At the station, we thankfully only have to wait 2 minutes for the next train. It is currently 5:35-ish. I'm thinking...it's a loss. I'll never go 3 stops, and cross over to the MARC platform from the Metro, in the next 5 minutes.
Then I double-check -- the train doesn't leave until 5:49 -- I'm saved!! I have the time. It will still be close and I can get there in 10 minutes. I will have to run, but by golly, I can do this.
As the train lets people off at Twinbrook, one stop away from Rockville, I see the MARC train whiz by. Gaaaah! My heart races. I still have at least 3 minutes until the train leaves.
We pull up at Rockville and I sprint out the Metro car to the escalator. I try not to mow too many people over, but as I get onto the escalator, I move to the left, only to get slowed down by a completely average person, going a completely average pace.
WHAT?!?! EVERYONE SHOULD BE RUNNING. THIS IS HOW RUSH HOUR WORKS!
As soon as I get past her at the bottom of the escalator, I sprint and, admittedly, rudely, cut in front of a gentleman at the turn stalls. And of course, wouldn't my SmarTrip card pick that moment not to be recognized by the reader. Gah.
I finally make it through and I hear people say "Look out!". The train whistle blows, so I haul my big butt up the stairs two at a time, see two people on the platform telling the guy "One more!" and as I reach the top of the stairs, the train is moving, the conductor is shaking his head and giving me the "Oh, so sorry" look.
Alas, I am out of breath, and now have to wait 21 minutes for the next one. I thank the kind people who tried to get the train to wait, and then I sit. I do my crossword and thankfully it's just my my husband having to wait a bit longer at the restaurant and he kindly asks me if I want a beer when I arrive.
That, my friends makes the burning feet and all the out-of-breath-ness worth it. Next time though, I'll run for the first train to not have to run for all the rest.
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