News
Metro Transit Ticket Validation Change Begins January 7: Special Metro Ambassadors Will Distribute Information Next Week
Dianne Williams
Director of Communications
314-982-1440
The New Year will bring an important, new change for Metro Transit customers. All MetroLink tickets and 2-hour passes will have to be validated by customers prior to boarding the train starting January 7, 2013. To prepare customers for the change,
Metro volunteer Ambassadors will hand out information at several MetroLink stations during the peak morning and afternoon commutes next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (December 17, 18, and 19). The Ambassadors will be at North Hanley, Civic Center, Central West End, St. Charles Rock Road, Shrewsbury, Belleville, Delmar Loop, 5th & Missouri, and Emerson Park from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The Ambassadors will also assist customers at those stations on January 7 when the validation change goes into effect.
The following fares must be validated by the customer starting January 7:
• 1-Ride Ticket
• 2-Hour Pass
• Round-Trip Tickets (each ticket immediately prior to travel)
• Tickets from 10-Ride Ticket Booklets
The ticket vending machines will no longer automatically print the expiration time on these tickets or passes. This will allow customers the flexibility of purchasing Metro tickets in advance of their trips, and then validating tickets when they are ready to use them. Validation will also significantly reduce the misuse of transit tickets, helping to ensure that each customer pays for his or her ride.
A validated transit ticket is required to ride on the Metro Transit system. The passenger must have a validated ticket in his or her possession as proof of payment. A ticket that has not been validated is considered a fare violation and may result in a citation and a fine. Some Metro customers receive their tickets and passes from their school, college or other organization. The passenger, not the organization, is responsible for ticket validation, and the passenger would receive the citation and fine for not having a validated ticket or pass.
It only takes a moment to validate a ticket. Tickets are inserted into one of the red validation machines which are located at all MetroLink platforms. A ticket is correctly validated if the day and time appear along the side when the ticket is removed from the validator machine.
Scratch off day passes are valid when the date of travel is scratched off. There is no need for customers to validate pre-dated daily, weekly or monthly passes.