Fare Hikes May Be Coming for D.C. Metro System

After months of chronically balky rail service, including several crippling breakdowns, Metro’s financial managers have begun drafting a new budget that could cause further pain for commuters in the form of fare hikes, officials said Thursday. The idea of raising prices — a prospect almost certain to rile many of Metro’s already disgruntled riders — isn’t a concrete proposal yet. The transit agency’s next budget, for the fiscal year that begins in July 2016, won’t be ready until November. But the possibility is percolating.

“There’s no desire to raise fares or adjust service,” Jack Requa, Metro’s interim general manager, told reporters as members of Metro’s governing board gathered for committee meetings on financial issues and other matters. In Metro-speak, “adjust service” means to cut expenses by reducing the frequency of trains — also not a crowd-pleaser.

“But for the last number of years, every other year, we’ve had a fare adjustment,” Requa said. “And we’ll certainly be looking at it again this year.”