WASHINGTON — Metro’s general manager is set to get permission this week to waive fares or parking fees in emergency conditions, but this is not set to give riders any breaks on fares during rush-hour track work.
The resolution on the Metro Board’s agenda Thursday gives General Manager Paul Wiedefeld authority to temporarily reduce or waive fares for up to 48 hours in a “declared emergency” as long as he tells the board about it afterward.
Wiedefeld said last month that he sees such waivers as limited to one-off events, not prolonged service issues like the round-the-clock track work that began impacting rush hours this week.
Riders are paying regular fares even during the work.
Even without authority to do so, Wiedefeld waived fares entirely during the first day Metro began to reopen following the blizzard in January, and he waived parking fees during the one-day safety shutdown of the system in March.
The Metro Board approved those actions retroactively anyway.
If the resolution, which was sent to the full board from the Finance Committee last month, is approved, Wiedefeld’s new authority would begin in mid-July.
