Metro Extends, Shaves 5 Minutes Off Its 'Rush Hour Promise'

WASHINGTON, DC — On Thursday, Metro voted to extend its "Rush Hour Promise" program through June 2019 and to make it easier for delayed riders to get a refund, WMATA said.

The decision is part of Metro's effort to win back riders amid widespread dissatisfaction over performance issues that have plagued the system.

Under the change — scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 — SmarTrip card users will get a refund for their trip if they are delayed by 10 minutes or more during rush hour. Currently, the "Rush Hour Promise" program only credits riders who experience 15 minutes of unscheduled, rush-hour delays.

"Metro service continues to be more reliable, thanks to new preventive maintenance programs and new railcars," said Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld. "We understand our customers' time is valuable and we are holding ourselves accountable to deliver reliable, on-time service."

Metro first unveiled its "Rush Hour Promise" program in January of 2018. The goal was, and still is, to restore people's confidence in Metro and to provide the D.C. metro area with reliable transportation.

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Over the past decade, the agency has lost 125,000 average daily trips, The Washington Post reported.

To win back riders, WMATA refunded approximately $1 million for more than 277,000 trips that were delayed under the "Rush Hour Promise" program, Metro said. Over the past 10 months, 93 percent of customers who received a refund returned, according to the agency.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images