http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=7015 (http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=7015)
So happy to see WMATA act somewhat proactively for once with the RAC meeting that happened back on Wednesday night (9/1) being centered on it. I think they're all good options though the compromise negative of $2.50 sounds good enough as those who'd go any more negative usually refill when they get under the $5-10 balance mark.
With Smartrips, they don't require a minimum fare to enter? Um...wow. I assumed that was always the case (you know, common sense and such)...you shouldn't be able to enter the system without the minimum fare. Capping the negative balance or eliminating it will just have the absentminded caught at the Exitfare, especially if the machines don't have credit card capabilities.
Also, why not sell the cards for the $2.50 with $2.50 value (enough for a round trip?). The cards are supposed to LAST, so it's a good value. You are buying the Smartrip in order to take transit on more than one occassion...what use is a card with zero value?
The "hardship" issue is over-hyped, especially with such an outrageously priced rapid transit system. I'm sure that 99% of the residents in the DC area, a city with a HIGH cost of living, could afford to put $5 towards a card (with value!) that they will use again and again. The savings they will realize, especially since there are no transfers with cash fares, outweigh the disadvantages.