Metro hasn't yet formally announced the sale of a special edition SmarTrip card commemorating the impending inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama, but this image was circulated at this morning's regular Board of Directors meeting, along with details on their production schedule and cost.

Metro spokesperson Steven Taubenkibel confirmed that the commemorative SmarTrip cards should be available for sale in early January, while special paper Metro farecards marking the inauguration will be sold somewhat earlier, in late December.

There was some discussion at the board meeting about the cost and availability of the commemorative SmarTrip cards. Currently, Metro plans to sell them for $10 per card, with no value added to the card at the time of initial purchase, which would make them $5 more expensive than regular SmarTrip cards. They may also be hard to come by, as Metro will only have an initial order of 35,000 on hand to begin with, though Taubenkibel said the agency hopes to have more available as time permits. The short time period during which the cards have had to be ordered, produced, and eventually shipped to D.C. and processed was cited as the main reason for their higher price and small number.

"We're going to have get them out really quickly in order for them to be sold," Taubenkibel explained.
We'll be sure to update when a firm date is announced for their sale. The commemorative SmarTrip cards will be available to purchase online, as well as at Metro sales offices.

                                                              By Sommer Mathis

Bold face is mine.

(hat tip to: JammieWearingFool)