The city of Washington has mostly done a fantastic job accomodating at least a million visitors for the Inauguration, but what on earth were they thinking making people pay to ride the Metro today? Unlike many subway systems, riders have to insert tickets upon entering and exiting the system–a trial for visitors to figure out on a good day. On a day like today it’s jamming up the system.
On high ridership days in the past–Fourth of July, Earth Day, etc.–the WMTA has opened up the turnstiles and allowed people to ride for free, which led to a much smoother transition of people in and out of the system. I know the city is hurting financially, but it would have been a cost worth bearing.