Mass Transportation Benefit Program (MTBP)

Use Your MTBP Benefits

Once your DoW MTBP NCR application is approved and you have submitted your monthly claim, your transit benefit is delivered electronically via WMATA SmartBenefits® directly to your registered SmarTrip® account.

How you use the benefits depends entirely on your commute and benefits management. There are two ways to use your benefits: Direct Board & Swipe or 3rd-Party Allocation.

SmarTrip® Direct Benefits (Board & Swipe)

If your transit provider is equipped with SmarTrip® card readers, you simply tap your card at the faregate to “pay as you go”.

  • Eligible Providers: Metrorail, Metrobus, ART, CUE Bus, DASH, DC Circulator, Fairfax Connector, Loudoun County Transit, PRTC OmniRide (Daily Fare), Montgomery County Ride On, and TheBus. (Note: Maryland MTA bus and rail systems do not accept SmarTrip® cards directly).
  • The “Debit Card” Experience: With WMATA’s Autoload system, your monthly transit benefit remains secure in a cloud-based account. Your SmarTrip® card (or mobile device) acts like a debit card, automatically accessing your benefit account and deducting the correct fare whenever you tap a target.
  • How it Works: On the first workday of the benefit period, your funds will automatically apply to your card the first time you tap a target. As you ride during the month, your fares will automatically deduct from your monthly benefit amount.
  • Standalone WMATA Passes: DoW MTBP NCR does not utilize Metro Pass products as they are flat-rate local products that bypass the “Pay-As-You-Go” cost-control mechanism, posing a high risk of taxpayer waste. While an unlimited pass might save a rare 5-day-a-week, non-teleworking commuter a few dollars, it costs the government significantly more across the entire workforce due to hybrid work schedules, the inability to claw back unused pre-paid fare media, and the legal requirement to prevent taxpayer-funded personal travel.

SmartBenefits® on 3rd-Party Providers

If your transportation provider does not use SmarTrip® card readers, your benefits cannot be used directly from your SmarTrip® card. You must take an additional step to allocate (transfer) your funds from your SmarTrip® account to your 3rd-party transit vendor.

  • Eligible Providers: CommuterDirect.com, Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Commuter Buses, MARC Train, Virginia Railway Express (VRE), Vanpools registered with WMATA, OmniRide $285 Express Monthly Pass, MetroAccess, and RideSmart Commuter Bus (Amtrak is available through CommuterDirect.com).
  • How it Works: You must establish an account with your 3rd-party provider and use the WMATA SmartBenefits® Passenger Allocation System to route your benefits.
  • Please visit the Allocate Your MTBP Benefits page for detailed, vendor-specific allocation deadlines and instructions.

Benefit Delivery Preparation, Autoload, & Card Replacement

To ensure your transit funds load instantly on the first day of the month without delay, your SmarTrip® card must have a “history of use” and a positive personal balance. You do not need to spend personal funds to establish this history.

How to prepare your card (do this at least once in the last 2 weeks prior to your benefit month, this action prepares your card to access the account):

  1. Go to a “Farecards and Passes” kiosk along the wall of any Metro station.
  2. Tap your SmarTrip® on the circular target.
  3. The screen will display your personal balance. Press the “Cancel” button.

Note: If you do not establish a history of use prior to benefits loading, your funds may experience a delay after your first tap to establish a history and start working.

Be advised that “board & swipe” commuters who only tap their SmarTrip® at a faregate or farebox when boarding may experience a one or two commute delay in transit benefit upload. Tapping the SmarTrip® on a Farecards and Passes kiosk promotes a faster loading of benefits to the SmarTrip®.

CARD REPLACEMENT RULE: If you replace your registered SmarTrip®, you must register your new card immediately at smartrip.com (allow 24 hours for registration to process) and notify the MTBP Program Office. SmartBenefits® cannot be assigned to unregistered cards.

Electronic Purse Management & Balance Checks

To satisfy IRS requirements (Revenue Ruling 2006-57, 2006-2 C.B. 911 and Internal Revenue Code § 132(a)(5) and 132(f)), your transit and personal funds are strictly segregated into separate electronic “purses” on your SmarTrip® card.

Transit Benefit Purse (Government Funds)

  • Holds your DoW-authorized mass transit benefit (up to your certified cost, not to exceed the federal maximum of $340/month).
  • Funds are used first when riding mass transit.
  • Unused benefits expire at the end of the month and do not rollover.
  • CANNOT be used to pay for parking and cannot be transferred to your personal purse.
  • Balance Check: Tap your card at any Metrorail faregate, bus farebox, or view online.

Personal Stored Value Purse (Your Funds)

  • Holds your personal money (up to $300).
  • Personal funds do not expire and rollover month-to-month.
  • Will automatically be used to pay for Metro parking, or to pay fares if your Transit Benefit Purse is exhausted.
  • Balance Check: Tap your card at any Farecards and Passes kiosk or view online.

Note: If a portion of your fare is split between your Transit Purse and your Personal Stored Value Purse, the faregate screen will display the remaining balance of your Personal Purse.

Checking Balances & Troubleshooting

You can check your SmarTrip® account balance at any time by logging into your WMATA SmarTrip® Account. For assistance accessing your account, call WMATA at 1-888-762-7874 or email.

Participant Troubleshooting Checklist:

If your benefits are not loading at the faregate, please verify the following:

  1. Did you submit a monthly claim? Verify your claim history at the bottom of the Participant Status Portal .
  2. Are you using the correct card? Verify that the SmarTrip® serial number you are tapping matches the active card listed on your Participant Status page.
  3. Does your SmarTrip® account have a positive Personal Stored Value balance?
  4. Does your card have a history of use? Review the “Benefit Delivery Preparation” section above to ensure your card is communicating with the WMATA servers.
  5. Did you make late changes? If you replaced your card or modified your funding after the 21st of the month, it is imperative that you tap your card at a kiosk prior to the 1st of the upcoming month to avoid balance upload delays.

WMATA Reduced Fare Programs

Transit Customer Service Directory

If you experience technical issues, card balance errors, or delivery failures, please contact the specific customer service desk for your transit operator:

A list of Qualified Transportation Providers servicing the National Capital Region highlights bus, rail, and vanpool services for your convenience.