VRE considers new monthly ride pass

ALEXANDRIA — (Press release) The Virginia Railway Express is considering a new pass that would be good for 31 consecutive days.

The 31-day pass would function just like a Day Pass in that:

• Validate on first use, pass would be valid until midnight of the 31st day after validation. The pass could be purchased at any time, and not validated until needed. This would allow:
• Monthly pass holders to utilize any Free Ride Certificates (FRCs) prior to validating the 31-day pass, addressing the longstanding concern of many that FRCs are of no value to monthly pass holders.
• Passengers who take vacation time at the beginning of the month could validate upon their return, instead of switching to 10-ride passes for the month.

The new pass would lead to the elimination of confusing business rules like not being able to purchase a paper monthly pass after the 9th day of the month, or not being able to purchase a monthly pass at all on VRE Mobile between the 9th and the 23rd of the month.

There’s also the potential for individual savings by providing passengers a more flexible fare choice.

The ticket would expire one year from the date of purchase unless validated, just like all other VRE ticket types.

The current plan is to price the 31-day pass the same as the calendar monthly pass. 

Officials want to know what riders think of the idea. 

VRE currently offers a monthly ride pass for both its Fredericksburg and Manassas lines. Those riding one way along the entire length of the lines pay $327.60 and 268.60, respectively.