SmarTrip

SmarTrip is a contactless payment system for public transit in the Washington metropolitan area, managed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. SmarTrip is accepted on the Washington Metro, Metrobus, and local bus services in Northern Virginia.

SmarTrip was introduced in 1999 on the Washington Metro, and began rolling out to buses in 2002. The Maryland Transit Administration partnered with WMATA to operate the CharmCard, a version of the SmarTrip card that was used for local transit services in the Baltimore metropolitan area from 2010 to 2025.

SmarTrip was initially criticized for its slow rollout, and some Metro stations did not have SmarTrip vending machines until 2012. SmarTrip system upgrades since 2020 have allowed users to add their SmarTrip cards to Apple Pay and Google Wallet. Contactless credit and debit cards have been accepted on SmarTrip readers on the Washington Metro and Metrobus since 2025, branded as "Tap. Ride. Go."