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WAUKESHA, WI - MAY 1st: Former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Wednesday May 1st, 2024.  (Photo by Sara Stathas for the Washington Post)

Metro’s windup for an imminent fare hike was nothing short of diabolical.

On the last day of the weekly commute, the Red Line had to shut down some segments Friday after arcing insulators were reported at the Medical Center station in Bethesda and at Dupont Circle at the height of the morning rush hour.

It was a double whammy — a triple whammy when you consider that part of the same line had already been closed for scheduled maintenance as part of SafeTrack, the massive year-long campaign to do something or other with the Washington area’s ailing subway system — on the eve of a fare hike. It was enough to have riders short-circuiting.

Fredrick Kunkle/The Washington Post

“The train is awful,” said Terri Williams, 58, who said she arrived 45 minutes late for classes she is taking downtown after leaving her home in Brookland. Williams, who most often uses the Red, Orange and Blue lines, said the fare hike seemed like a bad joke, especially in light of the system’s continued problems.

“I don’t believe it’s worth it,” she said. “But I can’t drive downtown. Parking would be worse.”

Welcome to D.C. As of Sunday, fares will increase, and hours of service will shrink. Fares for trains and buses will rise 10 to 25 cents; the highest one-way peak fare will reach $6, while bus trips will cost $2. Parking at 44 Metro stations will increase by 10 cents.

[It’s about to get more expensive to ride the bus]

Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/05/12/mark-your-calendars-metro-rail-and-bus-riders-will-see-fares-rise-schedules-change-on-june-25/?tid=a_inl&amp;utm_term=.dc43ef831531">late-night service</a> — which had already been cut back since last year because of emergency repairs — goes on indefinite hiatus. That means a night on the town will mean a dash for the last train at 11:30 p.m. on weeknights and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday (and 11 p.m. Sundays) — or calling a taxi. Long days will get longer for restaurant staff and other folks in the entertainment and hospitality industry who will have to arrange for another way to get home. Weekend morning service also will be reduced.

All of which seems to have sparked a meltdown among Metro’s dwindling pool of riders.

Twitter was full of Metro malcontents — and so were several streets, as stranded riders emerged blinking in the steamy daylight with maybe one last hope to arrive at work on time: Uber.

For some, the fare increases and erratic service may narrow the margin of expense and pain between commuting by car or taking Metro, and cause more commuters to switch.

Christine Burke, a figure-skating coach who lives in Rockville, said she seldom uses Metro, and Friday was a good illustration of why. Over the years, she has found that the subway doesn’t save much time, compared with driving. Add in the expense — soon to be $12 round-trip during peak hours, with $5.20 to park — and, for some, that all-day downtown parking garage tab is looking like a deal. So Burke, 32, uses the system only once a month or so these days, such as when she wanted to meet a friend Friday for lunch.

“The traffic was terrible. The problem was, Metro didn’t save me any time because there were always so many delays, there were always so many things going on, that ultimately it ended up being the same amount of time,” Burke said. Looking back on a year or so of SafeTrack, she said some things have improved, such as the number of new trains that have been added. But in some ways, the system has become worse, with all the service interruptions and single-tracking. For her, the fare hike was just one more reason to drive herself.

“I think it’s kind of ridiculous, but at the same time, I’m not surprised,” she said.

The folks at AAA Mid-Atlantic issued a statement Friday that analyzed the cost differentials between driving and taking mass transit from Rockville, Silver Spring and Springfield. The group said that, under some scenarios, the costs are almost equal. The analysis — which was based on gasoline at $2.29 a gallon and a Buick LaCrosse that gets 18 miles per gallon — says that when you factor in the car’s purchase price, maintenance and insurance, and parking, the cost works out to about $34 a week traveling into the District from Silver Spring by car, compared with $30 by Metro (not including parking). “It comes out about the same if you have a car,” AAA spokesman John B. Townsend II said.

Whether you agree or disagree with the assumptions built into his model, it’s clear that other people have conducted a similar analysis, contributing at least in part to the 12 percent drop in ridership over the past six months.

[How to avoid getting skimmed when you’re filling your car with gas]

Still, despite Friday’s turmoil, not everyone had a dour view of Metro.

Mark Irish, an Alexandria resident who works for the federal government, said he has seen improvements in the past year. Irish, who rides the Yellow and Blue lines regularly, said he thinks the investments have paid off and were necessary, given the years of neglect. The upcoming fare increase, he said, also didn’t represent much of a sacrifice.

“I think the trains are running a little better,” Irish said. “I know it’s been inconvenient, and we lost a lot of time, but it’s been worth it. I think it’s a real tribute to the people who work all night, on all-night shifts.”

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tripping/wp/2017/06/21/for-icelandair-all-the-worlds-a-stage-and-all-the-cabin-crew-are-actors/?utm_term=.96d4f46ecf97">For Icelandair, all the world’s a stage (and the cabin crew are actors)</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tripping/wp/2017/06/20/here-are-some-takeaways-from-uber-founders-departure/?utm_term=.7c6b62563ad9">Five takeaways from Travis Kalanick’s exit from Uber</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tripping/wp/2017/06/12/writer-rants-about-drivers-who-idle-with-air-conditioners-running/?utm_term=.51493d4e884b">Writer rants about drivers who idle the car with the AC running </a>

Pray for Us Sinners: The Hail Mary Murder

Yale University

Fredrick Kunkle is a reporter on the Metro desk. He has written about transportation, politics, courts, police, and local government in Maryland and Virginia.