Transfers
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FARES: Effective July 1, 2012

Now Add Ride On?s Monthly Pass to Your SmarTrip!

Seniors (age 65 years) now have a new Senior SmarTrip card that may be used to ride Metrorail at senior fares, ride free on Ride On buses and some Metrobuses in Montgomery County Monday - Friday between 9:30AM and 3PM or half fare at all other times.  The cost of the Senior SmarTrip card is $5.  There is no value on the card at the time of purchase. The new Senior SmarTrip Card may be presented to Ride On and Metro operators to ride free during free periods or to get half fare all other times in Montgomery County on most routes. During free times, please do not tap the Senior SmarTrip card on the target on the farebox because a fare will be deducted from the card. Make sure there is value on the card during times of half fare.

Visit any library in Montgomery County, Commuter Store and Montgomery County Treasury and bring proof of age (state ID, birth certificate or passport). A registration form will be completed and you will be sold the new Senior SmarTrip card with information about the card. If you want to ride free from 9:30AM to 3PM Monday - Friday or for half fare all other times on Ride On or Metrobuses, you must present a Senior SmartTrip Card, Metro Senior Reduced Fare Identification Card, or Medicare card along with a photo ID if you don't have the SmartTrip Card.  If your current Metro Senior Reduced Fare Identification Card has expired, you have the option to continue to present the Medicare card along with a photo ID or purchase the new Senior SmarTrip card.

For more information, call the MC311 Information Center by dialing 311.

Ride On Monthly Pass

Now Add It To Your SmarTrip?.  Enjoy the convenience of having Ride On?s Monthly Pass on your SmarTrip  beginning with the pass for December 2012.

Only $45.00 to ride all month

Good only on Ride On

For places to purchase the pass on your SmarTrip click here.

For more information on the pass and SmarTrip, see these Frequently Asked Questions 

Paper passes will be discontinued with the January 2013 Monthly Pass.  

SmarTrip? Is Here!

The SmarTrip? card now works on Ride On!  This convenient electronic card makes travel on transit in the region seamless and now saves you money.  With SmarTrip?, travelers can pay for Metrorail, Metrobus, Ride On and parking at Metro stations, all with the convenient touch of a card. Customers can check balances and add money to the card on buses as well as at Metro stations.  SmarTrip is a permanent, rechargeable fare card. It's plastic ? like a credit card ? embedded with a special computer chip that keeps track of the value of the card. 

PASSES

• Monthly Youth Cruiser Pass $11.00. May only be used by riders 18 years and younger.

• Summer Youth Cruiser Pass $18.00. Available only from June to the end of August.

• Ride On accepts the new 7-Day Regional Bus Pass. The Metro Weekly Bus Pass has been replaced with a 7-Day Regional Bus Pass that is loaded onto your SmarTrip? Card. Unlike the Weekly Bus Pass that was valid for a calendar week, when you load the new 7-Day Regional Bus Pass onto your SmarTrip? Card, it's activated the first time you use it and it's valid for seven consecutive days. The cost is $15 for the regular 7-Day Regional Bus Pass and $7.50 for the Senior/Disabled 7-Day Regional Bus Pass. The 7-Day Regional Bus Pass can be loaded onto your SmarTrip? Card at any Metro Sales Office, regional transit store or select retail outlets.

• Ride On honors MARC rail weekly or monthly commutation tickets at any stop on any route.

• Senior Citizen ID Card There is no longer a non-SmarTrip Senior Citizen ID card. If you want a discount on Metrorail and you don't already have a reduced fare card, you must get a Senior SmarTrip card. If you want to ride buses in Montgomery County for free Monday - Friday from 9:30AM to 3PM or half fare all other times and don't have a Senior SmarTrip card, you must present a Medicare card along with a photo id. You may also show the operator a Senior SmarTrip card or an old (pre 7-08), but still valid, Metro Senior Reduced Fare Identification card.

• Disabled ID card

Exact fare required. RIDE On fare boxes accept coins or bills. Operator does not make change or accept money. With some farebox malfunctions, passenger rides free.

Sales Outlet Locations where you can buy passes in person

Buy online

 Riders With Disabilities

Disabled customers with valid Metro Disabled identification card ride free Monday - Friday from 9:30AM to 3PM and pay half fare all other times. If a disabled customer has a Metro attendant-eligible ID, an attendant may ride free or half fare with the ID holder as well during those hours.

To obtain this fare, the customer must show bus operators identification issued by Metro (see sample below).

 Metro Disabled ID Card  (sample)

For consistency with Metro?s policy, Ride On offers free rides at all times to MetroAccess certified customers and one companion who must board and alight at the same stop as the customer. Riders must present identification (see sample below). MetroAccess is the name of the ADA paratransit service for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. To register or to obtain information about how you may participate in this program, please call MetroAccess at 301-562-5370. For more information, access WMATA?s MetroAccess.

MetroAccess Card (sample)

Disabled and Attendant Eligible ID (sample).

National Capital Regional One Day Bus Pass has been eliminated

MONTHLY YOUTH CRUISER PASS

The Monthly Cruiser Pass now costs $11.00 and may only be used by riders 18 years and younger. The Pass is valid for Ride On only; no transfers are issued. Passengers who use both Ride On and Metrobus  should purchase a Metrobus Weekly Pass.

The Monthly Youth Cruiser Pass is available for purchase:

• Online ? by clicking on this link to ?buying a fare media online? and follow the directions.
• By Mail: Print the form (here), complete it, and mail it to the address in the form with required document
• Walk-in: Visit one of the TRiPS stores in Silver Spring or Friendship Heights, or the Montgomery County Treasury Offices in Rockville.

Please provide proof of age (passport or birth certificate.) Credit card payments are only accepted with mail-in orders.

Youth Cruiser Terms and Conditions

Youth Cruiser FAQ   En Espanol

SUMMER YOUTH CRUISER PASS

The Summer Youth Cruiser Pass is available for purchase:

• Online ? by clicking on this link to ?buying a fare media online? and follow the directions.
• By Mail: Print the form (here), complete it, and mail it to the address in the form with required document
• Walk-in: Visit one of the TRiPS stores in Silver Spring or Friendship Heights, or the Montgomery County Treasury Offices in Rockville.

KIDS RIDE FREE

Effective July 1, 2011 kids 18 years and younger will be allowed to ride any Ride On bus and most * Metrobus routes within Montgomery County without paying a fare from 2 PM until 7 PM Monday- Friday year-round. The student must show the bus operator either a valid school ID or the student pass issued by Ride On. Elementary students do not need an ID.

Youth riding Route 70 Express buses or Metrobus J7 and J9 will need to pay an additional charge of $2.05 in cash.

To take the bus at other times, youth should consider buying a Monthly Cruiser or Summer Youth Cruiser for unlimited rides on Ride On.

*C2, C4, C8, D5, F4, F6, J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, J7, J9, K6, L8, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6, T2, Y5, Y7, Y8, Y9, Z2, Z6, Z8, Z9, Z11, Z13, Z29

TOKENS

Ride On or Metrobus tokens are accepted for one ride. A token is valued at $1.80.

Metrobus Student tokens are not accepted on Ride On.

TRANSFERS 

• Ride On no longer issues or accepts paper transfers

• You must use a SmarTrip? card to get free transfers from bus-to-bus, including Metrobus or Ride On

• The time limit for transferring between buses is 2 hours.

• SmarTrip users receive a 50? discount on their rail fare when transferring from Ride On to Metrorail

• SmarTrip users receive a 50? discount transferring from Metrorail trains to Ride On. This means that the bus fare for SmarTrip users will be $1.10 after riding the train.

  Using a SmarTrip card has many benefits:

  • Saves you 20? every time you ride the bus as compared to paying cash
  • Also saves you another $1.00 roundtrip when you use bus and Metrorail
  • You can recover the balance of your money if your SmarTrip is lost or stolen. You must register your card ahead of time to take advantage of this.

• Express Route 70:

  • An express fare is charged on the Route 70. These are the same fares charged on the Metrobus J7 and J9.
    • Express Fare - Route 70 - Cash          $4.00
    • Express Fare - Route 70 - SmarTrip   $3.65
  • Riders with SmarTrip will get free transfers to other local routes and $.50 discount going to or coming from Metrorail. Riders transferring from a local regular route to an Express will have the difference of $2.05 automatically deducted from their SmarTrip card.
  • Ride On?s Monthly Pass, Metro?s Weekly Pass, or TLC will be good for $1.60 credit toward an express fare. The rider will have to pay the difference of $2.05 in cash, SmartTrip is not accepted for the "upcharge" of $2.05.

Buying FARE MEDIA

By mail

Online

In person at these Sales Outlet Locations or

At most County Libraries, Montgomery County Treasury, Giant Food Stores in the County, or Silver Spring Check Cashing.

Montgomery County Treasury 255 Rockville Pike, Suite L-15, Rockville, MD 20850 (Phone 240-777-0311)

PHONE NUMBERS

MC311 dial 311 within the County or 240-777-0311 outside the County
TTY (for hearing impaired) 240-773-3556

Other helpful phone numbers:

Metro Information Center (202) 637-7000
TTY Metro Information Center (202) 638-3780
MARC Train Service 1-800-325-RAIL
MTA Transit Information 1-800-543-9809