WASHINGTON 鈥� Metro riders can ring in the new year with parties, merriment and free rides, thanks to a sponsorship with the transit agency.
On Thursday, the Metro Board to provide free rides on the bus and rail system between midnight and its 3 a.m. closing on Jan. 1, 2016. Also, the hours of operation are extended to accommodate people heading home from New Year鈥檚 Eve celebrations.
Metro typically operates until 3 a.m. on weekends.
鈥淵ou still use your SmartTrip card to enter and exit but you won鈥檛 be charge,鈥� Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.聽鈥淥n the bus you simply show your SmartTrip card to the bus operator and step aboard.鈥�
The partnership with MillerCoors pays WMATA $165,000 for Metrobus and Metrorail rides from midnight through the system鈥檚 closure on Jan. 1, 2016. That dollar amount is based on previous year鈥檚 ridership.
MillerCoors has been supporting free ride programs for decades in nearly two dozen cities including Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas to promote 鈥渞esponsible commuting.鈥�
鈥淭here is such a thing as being too intoxicated to ride Metro,” Stessel said. “And if you find yourself in that state or your with someone in that kind of state, when you can鈥檛 maintain balance, that would be the time when you might want to take a cab or an Uber or something like that.鈥�
海角精品黑料’s Max Smith, Dick Uliano, Kristi King and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.
