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Committee presses WMATA on fare‑evasion enforcement after Office of Administrative Hearings complaints
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Summary
Councilmembers pressed WMATA about a large increase in notices of violation and a judge's finding that many WMATA notices to respondents were legally deficient; WMATA said it is working with the Office of Administrative Hearings to correct forms and will push digitization to reduce errors.
The committee devoted significant time to fare enforcement practices after members raised concerns over the volume of notices of violation (NOVs) and a finding by the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) that many of WMATA—s NOVs filed in D.C. were legally deficient.
Councilmember Christina Henderson quoted the chief administrative judge at OAH, saying in effect that NOVs filed by WMATA had often been "illegible or have missing pages," used an incorrect mailing or e‑mail address, and included false warnings about penalties that did not accurately explain how respondents appeal. Henderson read the judge—s criticism into the record and asked WMATA to explain what steps would be taken to stop wasting OAH and agency time.
WMATA's general manager and counsel acknowledged the problem and said the NOV form in question was created for D.C. citations and that WMATA needs to do a better job coordinating across jurisdictions and with OAH to correct the forms. WMATA told the committee it had follow‑up meetings with OAH and planned to move toward digital citation systems that would reduce handwritten errors and missing information.
Key numbers and context
- NOV filings: WMATA filed about 286 cases with OAH in FY2023 and roughly 3,400 in FY2024, a several‑fold increase that committee members said has strained adjudication resources.
- OAH's complaint: Henderson quoted the judge's finding that NOVs frequently contained incorrect or missing information and sometimes directed respondents to a non‑existent e‑mail address for appeals, creating due‑process problems and forcing dismissals.
WMATA response
- WMATA representatives told the committee they have had recent collaborative meetings with OAH and planned to improve the NOV template and the internal quality control process. The authority also said it is moving toward digital citation tools so forms cannot be filed with missing mandatory information.
Why this matters: NOVs dismissed for legal deficiencies cost WMATA and OAH staff time and may undermine public confidence in enforcement. The committee pushed for a fix that ensures notices are legally sufficient and properly instruct respondents how to appeal.
Ending
WMATA said it would follow up with counsel and OAH to fix templates and accelerate digital citation tools. Committee members requested updates and asked WMATA to avoid practices that force unnecessary dismissals for technical defects.
