2019-20 Kids Ride Free Smartrip Distribution / Locations and Dates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if DC kids enrolled in MD privates are eligible?

They are only for kids attending DC public schools and in some cases DC private schools. They work one metro stop outside the DC line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sheesh. Can’t they just reactivate the existing card? Everything is a freaking process. WTH?

Because it would also reactivate graduating seniors cards or cards held by people who left A DC school since last fall?

Your kid gets free transit for a year. Taking an hour to swap our last year’s card for this year’s card doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

But it's not like that was an act of charity by the government to give that to us. We all bought and paid for it. It's not something that we are required to be grateful for in case it goes away -- it is actually something that belongs to all of us and that we are entitled to. And if we think the system for implementing it could be made better, then we should say so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if DC kids enrolled in MD privates are eligible?

They are only for kids attending DC public schools and in some cases DC private schools. They work one metro stop outside the DC line.

Thanks PP and others who've responded. I recall the bolded being true when I was a DCPS student years ago. I could get off at Capitol Heights metro. I was curious because DC takes a bus to school but we live too far for a stop in our neighborhood. Therefore, we drive daily. Taking metro would be ideal, but the cost for two daily R/T fares (vice one) is more than driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sheesh. Can’t they just reactivate the existing card? Everything is a freaking process. WTH?

Because it would also reactivate graduating seniors cards or cards held by people who left A DC school since last fall?

Your kid gets free transit for a year. Taking an hour to swap our last year’s card for this year’s card doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

But it's not like that was an act of charity by the government to give that to us. We all bought and paid for it. It's not something that we are required to be grateful for in case it goes away -- it is actually something that belongs to all of us and that we are entitled to. And if we think the system for implementing it could be made better, then we should say so.

I wish that the DC public library would deliver the books I want to my house. I pay for the library through my taxes and think it would be a far better way to implement this service I am not grateful for.

[Anonymous]

There’s no school bus in DC. Instead, kids get to ride free for school. They used to be the DC One card then last year they switched to stand alone cards.

What I don’t understand is why we need whole new cards. They should have all the cards logged into a system (they are regular metro cards with ID numbers). Why don’t they just reaurhorize the same cards for another year? what are we supposed to do with the old cards? Obviously they have a cost since you need to pay $1-$2 for the card itself.

[Anonymous]

If I do not have my children with me, what do I need to bring to pick up their cards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I do not have my children with me, what do I need to bring to pick up their cards?

The flyer posted in OP tells you. Look in the center box near the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no school bus in DC. Instead, kids get to ride free for school. They used to be the DC One card then last year they switched to stand alone cards.

What I don’t understand is why we need whole new cards. They should have all the cards logged into a system (they are regular metro cards with ID numbers). Why don’t they just reaurhorize the same cards for another year? what are we supposed to do with the old cards? Obviously they have a cost since you need to pay $1-$2 for the card itself.

Riding free on bus or rail is a recent development; a Bowser initiative actually. Reduced fares on the bus were all that was available for years, then they added a subsidized Metro option ($30 a month when my now HS student was in MS).

As for why they don't reauthorize? Because this is how WMATA wants it done. It's not in DC's control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no school bus in DC. Instead, kids get to ride free for school. They used to be the DC One card then last year they switched to stand alone cards.

What I don’t understand is why we need whole new cards. They should have all the cards logged into a system (they are regular metro cards with ID numbers). Why don’t they just reaurhorize the same cards for another year? what are we supposed to do with the old cards? Obviously they have a cost since you need to pay $1-$2 for the card itself.

How would they know who's card to reauthorize and whose to cancel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sheesh. Can’t they just reactivate the existing card? Everything is a freaking process. WTH?

Because it would also reactivate graduating seniors cards or cards held by people who left A DC school since last fall?

Your kid gets free transit for a year. Taking an hour to swap our last year’s card for this year’s card doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

But it's not like that was an act of charity by the government to give that to us. We all bought and paid for it. It's not something that we are required to be grateful for in case it goes away -- it is actually something that belongs to all of us and that we are entitled to. And if we think the system for implementing it could be made better, then we should say so.

I wish that the DC public library would deliver the books I want to my house. I pay for the library through my taxes and think it would be a far better way to implement this service I am not grateful for.

They do. It's called Libby. I can borrow library books from my couch and get them delivered electronically to my device.

[Anonymous]

They also deliver physical books to readers who cannot get to the library for mobility reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They also deliver physical books to readers who cannot get to the library for mobility reasons.

And if you can’t pick up your Karaf Smartrip card it can be mailed to you.

The rest of us who need or want a physical object need to retrieve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They also deliver physical books to readers who cannot get to the library for mobility reasons.

And if you can’t pick up your Karaf Smartrip card it can be mailed to you.

The rest of us who need or want a physical object need to retrieve it.

I wish we could have just checked a box on our enrollment forms and automatically applied for a card to be sent in August with our school enrollment packet. Seems like it should just be part of regular dcps/dcpcs enrollment at this point.
As well letting families apply online would be nice. We will likely miss most of the dates due to work, travel etc.

[Anonymous]

This will be our 1st summer and school year needing one as our kid is just entering Kindergarten. Where do we find their student ID number? Is this the same number used for the lottery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This will be our 1st summer and school year needing one as our kid is just entering Kindergarten. Where do we find their student ID number? Is this the same number used for the lottery?

It is a different number. For students new to school you should either call you school and ask (it may not be available before the first day). If unavailable, you should go and get the card from your school sometime during the first week.