Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards, is there another way to get them?

[Anonymous]

OP here. My kid still does not have his card.

[Anonymous]

it isn't 9/30 yet

[Anonymous]

Start tweeting up a storm at DCPS, the mayor and DDOT or whomever is responsible. It'll get taken up by people who tweet regularly about dysfunction in DC and amplified. Will it work to get your kid a card? I don't know, but put that rage to use somehow holding stupid DC responsible.

Kid 1 is at a charter school - "haven't gotten cards yet".

Kid 2 at Deal - I applied online (thanks to this posting) and was notified the card was available by the next Monday. Has my kid picked up the card yet? That's the part I can't control.

[Anonymous]

OP again. Wilson says they have distributed over 900 cards so far. They ordered another batch and have no idea when they will get them. It's just frustrating because I've been paying out of pocket for my kids to get to and from school every day and it's a huge expense that I wasn't expecting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Wilson says they have distributed over 900 cards so far. They ordered another batch and have no idea when they will get them. It's just frustrating because I've been paying out of pocket for my kids to get to and from school every day and it's a huge expense that I wasn't expecting.

It is a DDOT issue, not a DCPS issue (same thing happened last year). Call and harass them. Call you Councilmember and ask them to do the same.

[Anonymous]

My kid at Wilson got theirs weeks ago

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Wilson says they have distributed over 900 cards so far. They ordered another batch and have no idea when they will get them. It's just frustrating because I've been paying out of pocket for my kids to get to and from school every day and it's a huge expense that I wasn't expecting.

You should be using your card from last year. Still works, still valid. If lost, ask your kids where they placed it.

We are using last year's- but just received this years last week. (New look/format)

If there is an expense, look at the family's management of the resource, does not directly reflect on the system providing the access to the transportation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Wilson says they have distributed over 900 cards so far. They ordered another batch and have no idea when they will get them. It's just frustrating because I've been paying out of pocket for my kids to get to and from school every day and it's a huge expense that I wasn't expecting.

You should be using your card from last year. Still works, still valid. If lost, ask your kids where they placed it.

We are using last year's- but just received this years last week. (New look/format)

If there is an expense, look at the family's management of the resource, does not directly reflect on the system providing the access to the transportation.

Yes, ideally but not possible for us since last years card stopped working over the summer.

[Anonymous]

I wish this was surprising.

https://twitter.com/tomsherwood/status/1178777455483654145

"Deputy Mayor's office says 14,854 [KRF cards] still not in the hands of students"

[Anonymous]

My Wilson student didn't get one an is paying out of pocket for metro every day. Says they are out and have no idea when more are coming in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Wilson student didn't get one an is paying out of pocket for metro every day. Says they are out and have no idea when more are coming in.

I'm the OP. Have your kid go see Mr. Wims on the 2nd floor. I finally found out who actually receives the cards at the school and I told my kid to just go to his room. He did and was given a card that way.

[Anonymous]

This has been a mess. But better than previous years.

[Anonymous]

Why on earth is it so hard for dcpsand ddot to get their crap together and get the card out on before 9/30?? It should be simple if you signed up by x date (say August 1 or whatever dcps 1day or school is) you will have it in your hot little hands by xz date. If you sign up after x day you will receive it within 2 or 4 weeks of said date.

[Anonymous]

Wow! I just filled out the form linked to my child’s MS and he had it two days later. I think the kids are where the process breaks down. If you are giving your kid money, are you sure s/he doesn’t have the card and is just pocketing your money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow! I just filled out the form linked to my child’s MS and he had it two days later. I think the kids are where the process breaks down. If you are giving your kid money, are you sure s/he doesn’t have the card and is just pocketing your money?

No, the problem is that they don’t allocate the cards to the schools where kids actually commute properly. So my kid’s heavily IB ES has a glut of them, but HSes like Wilson where virtually everyone commutes are like 1,000 short. It’s insane.