A D.C. Council bill providing city residents with $100 a month for the area’s Metro transit system and a dedicated $10 million fund annually passed a committee Monday.
The bill, authored by Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), received the unanimous support of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, chaired by Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3).
The legislation will go to the council’s Committee of the Whole and possibly the full body as soon as October.
Allen said his legislation would bring more people back to the Metro system while expanding services for lower-income riders who depend more exclusively on public transportation, WTOP reported.
The bill comes as Metro seeks to rebuild its ridership lost during the early part of the coronavirus pandemic and financially secure the agency.
The bill sets up the District Resident Transit Subsidy Program, which would provide a $100 per month subsidy through SmarTrip cards. District residents of all income levels can utilize the program.
Council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large) said the other area jurisdictions should follow Allen’s lead.
“As we modernize the system and look forward, I think this is one tool in our toolbox to help boost ridership and to add some additional funding,” Henderson said, WTOP reported. “If anyone from other jurisdictions is listening, it is going to require all of us, especially Maryland and Virginia, to do their part as well, but I’m glad today D.C. is taking this step.”