DC Metro riders to get 15-minute grace period to exit same station

The Metrorail system in Washington, D.C., is allowing riders a 15-minute grace period to exit the same station they entered without being charged, the transit agency announced Friday.

{mosads}Metro had been facing mounting public pressure to institute the change after scores of passengers were finding themselves on overly crowded platforms resulting from service disruptions. Metro began rolling out a massive, yearlong maintenance effort just last month.

The new policy — which goes into effect Friday — allows passengers time to change their minds after they enter a faregate at a Metro stop.

Previously, customers entering and exiting at the same station would be charged the base fare, even if they did not travel.

“This is all about refocusing on our customers,” Metro’s general manager, Paul J. Wiedefeld, said in a statement. “If I’m in line at the coffee shop and I decide I want to leave, I don’t expect to be charged.”