SmarTrip® Direct Benefits
On the first workday of the benefits period, benefits will be applied directly to your SmarTrip® card the first time you tap your card to a Metro Rail faregate (entry turnstile) or bus SmarTrip® card target. (*)(**)
When you tap your card on the target for the first time during the benefit period, the transit benefit balance displayed on the screen at the Metro faregate or Bus farebox will be your full monthly benefit amount. As you ride during the month, you will be using your benefits as you commute on mass transit.
* SmarTrip® card must have a history of use and a positive personal balance in order to load benefits. You do not need to spend personal funds to establish a history of use. You can tap your card on a “farecards and passes” machine along the walls of a Metro station at any point in the 3 weeks prior to benefits loading. After tapping your card, you will see your personal balance. Hit “press for cancel” and you are done.
** If a history is not established in the 3 weeks prior to benefits loading, benefits will still load, but they may take 3 to 5 days after first use to establish a history and start working.
SmartBenefits® on 3rd Party Transportation Providers
Commuters using 3rd Party benefits must first establish an account with the 3rd Party provider. See the Allocate Your MTBP Benefits page for the necessary instructions to set up your account.
Depending on your selected mode of transportation and the options you have selected, your fare media or benefits can be:
- Mailed to your home address
- Picked up at a Commuter Store location
- Delivered to your vanpool provider
- Delivered to your commuter bus operator and picked up from the bus conductor
- Available for mobile payment upon boarding
Once you receive your fare media, use it as required by your transportation provider.
SmarTrip® cards cannot be used directly on the following modes of transit. You must use a transit benefit allocation or CommuterDirect.com for service on the following transit providers:
The CommuterStore and CommuterDirect work with WMATA to make SmartBenefits® (electronic employee transit benefits) available to riders via a personalized transit account. With the personalized SmartBenefits® account, riders will be able to access their transit benefits at an Arlington County Commuter Store or through a mail order account with CommuterDirect to purchase tickets without having to use paper fare vouchers.
A CommuterDirect.com SmartBenefits® Personal Account allows you to use employer-provided SmartBenefits® to purchase the transit tickets and passes you need for your commute on transit systems that don’t accept SmarTrip® cards (VRE and MARC Commuter Rail, and MTA Commuter Bus).
You will be able to purchase tickets by mail online. You will have to set up a CommuterDirect account and allocate SmartBenefits® funds to CommuterDirect.com through WMATA.
Once set up, allocated benefits are applied to the participant’s account each month on or about the 22nd. Once you identify your ticket needs, either through a recurring order or a One-Time Order, your tickets will be mailed. Recurring orders will be mailed between the 10th and 22nd of each month. If your transit benefit does not cover the full purchase price of your order, CommuterDirect will charge the remaining balance to the credit card you have on file with your account.
Note: If you would like to use your transit benefits at the Commuter Stores or on MARC’s ticket vending machines, allocate your SmartBenefits® accordingly in WMATA’s SmartBenefits® allocation system. After setting up your allocation to Commuter Stores/MARC TVMs, you must set up TVM access.
The Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) is a commuter rail system in the Washington-Baltimore area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and has three lines that radiate from Union Station in Washington, DC.
Penn Line – Runs along the far southern leg of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Washington, DC, and Perryville, Maryland, via Baltimore Penn Station. The Penn Line is the only line with weekend service.
Camden Line – Runs between Washington, DC, and Camden Station in Baltimore.
Brunswick Line – Runs between Washington, DC, and Martinsburg, West Virginia, with a branch to Frederick, Maryland.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account. Benefits will be delivered on the first of the month.
You do have options to choose from, you can allocate funds to CommuterDirect.com or to MTA Mobile Ticketing.
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying areas in Northern Virginia to Union Station in Washington, DC. It operates two lines which run during weekdays.
Fredericksburg Line – Runs from Spotsylvania, Virginia.
Manassas Line – Runs from Broad Run station in Bristow, Virginia.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account. Benefits will be delivered on the first of the month.
You do have options to choose from, you can allocate funds to CommuterDirect.com or to VRE Mobile.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Commuter Bus Service is a bus service that connects thousands of Maryland’s suburban residents with jobs in Baltimore and Washington D.C. It operates weekdays during morning and evening rush hours and is managed by private contractors with oversight from the MTA.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account. Benefits will be delivered on the first of the month.
You do have options to choose from, you can allocate funds to CommuterDirect.com or to MTA Mobile Ticketing.
RideSmart Commuter Bus is a service that travels from the Waterloo Park & Ride Lot to Rosslyn, Metro Center, and L’Enfant Plaza.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account. Benefits will be delivered on the first of the month.
You will have 1 month to use your tickets before they expire.
Allocation Deadline is the 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery.
Riders of Vanpools
- You must first create an account with WMATA SmartBenefits® Passenger Allocation System to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® card to your Vanpool provider each month (you only need to do this step once).
- Ask your Vanpool provider for specific information to identify your Vanpool in the allocation.
- Benefits will be delivered directly to the Vanpool’s account on the first of the month.
Allocation Deadline is the 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery.
Contact:
OmniRide is the operating name for the mobility services offered by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC). OmniRide includes local and express bus routes, vanpools, and ride matching services for Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Key destinations for OmniRide include the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., and Tysons, with connections to Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and WMATA Metrorail stations.
$285 Monthly Express Pass
This OmniRide monthly pass product is to be used for monthly commutes exceeding 13 days (26 round trips). Selecting the unlimited pass product and establishing the allocation creates a $285 monthly outlay vs. pay as you go ($11 per boarding).
When used less than 13 days, federal transit funds are being used to pay for an empty seat. When used as directed, savings are realized by both the participant and the funding agency. You must download the OmniPay app and create an account.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account. Benefits will be delivered directly to OmniRide on the first of the month.
Allocation Deadline is the 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery.
Board and swipe
If commuting less frequently you must select the Daily $11 OmniRide one-way fare in your DoD MTBP application expense worksheet. The OmniRide bus does have SmarTrip® board and swipe capability.
MetroAccess is a shared-ride, door-to-door, paratransit service for eligible customers whose disability prevents them from using Metro or Metrobus in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
When scheduling a trip, remember that MetroAccess does not provide same-day service, be prepared to give the reservation agent the exact addresses of your pick-up and drop-off locations. Please note that funds need to be available in your account prior to making a reservation for your trip. Money is deducted from your EZ-Pay account at the time you book your trip, not when you take the trip.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account. Benefits will be delivered to MetroAccess on the first of the month.
You will manage your SmartBenefits® utilizing MetroAccess EZ-Pay.
Allocation Deadline is the 21st of the month prior to benefit delivery.
Amtrak is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states.
You will have to allocate your MTBP Benefits to automatically move your benefit, or a portion of your benefit, from your SmarTrip® account to CommuterDirect.com.
You will receive vouchers in the mail prior to the 1st of the month. The vouchers can then be exchanged for 10-ride tickets at Union Station.
Amtrak does not provide a direct email address, but riders can get live customer assistance from the Amtrak Contact Us page.
* The “Allocate” step is required if the transportation provider of choice is not equipped with “board and swipe” fare card readers or if a pass product requires purchase with SmartBenefits® via a mobile application. Allocations may only be created by fully enrolled participants. Allocations are required for payments to VRE, MARC Train, MTA Commuter Buses, OmniRide $285 Express Mobile Pass, Vanpools, VRE Mobile, MetroAccess, and Amtrak.