Metro vending machines no longer dispensing paper tickets

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Metro officials say the last paper ticket for the rail and bus system has been sold.

Metro said in a statement Thursday that all its fare vending machines have been upgraded so that they dispense plastic SmarTrip cards instead of paper cards. Metro started retrofitting the machines in October.

Metro says that more than 450 fare vending machines in every Metro rail station were upgraded. Metro says the final two stations to be upgraded were Anacostia and Naylor Road.

Metro says that using SmarTrip eliminates the waste produced by paper tickets and eliminates mechanical problems associated with the paper tickets.