Washington, D.C.’s Metro is proposing to pay $3 for every Uber or Lyft ride between midnight and 4 a.m for late-night workers commuting to work or traveling back home when the subway system is closed for preventative maintenance, according to a Washington Post report.
Up to 10 such discounts per person every week can be availed by workers for rides to and from their work during late hours when the public transportation system is out of order. But the proposal covers only half of the rides taken by full-time workers who have to commute for 20 working days every month.
However, some are concerned that the proposal would impact the already overburdened public transportation, leading to traffic congestion as more ride-sharing vehicles will be on the roads.
Washington, D.C. has 117 miles of subway connecting about 100 stations, according to the Washington Post. The tracks undergo required maintenance during late hours. According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the subway has to be closed during late-night hours for the necessary maintenance work of tracks.
The subsidy is likely to be voted in favor by the MTA’s board of directors. However, MTA chairman, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and a union that represents about 7,500 D.C. hospitality workers are not supporting the proposal.
The proposal has been pushed as an alternative by Metro to the late-night service hours although it has been consistently opposed by Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld. D.C. politicians, including Metro board chairman and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, and Mayor Bowser have also objected to the proposal. Bowser and her chief of staff John Falcicchio want the Metro to fulfill its commitment to restore its service for late night hours for D.C. workers.