A member of Metro’s board of directors wants the transit system to have a financial incentive in making sure passengers receive reliable service.

The board commissioned Metro staff Thursday to develop a proposal to refund passengers’ fares if service is significantly delayed. Gordon Linton, who represents Maryland and came up with the idea, said a 15-minute or 20-minute delay would likely be long enough to trigger the refund.

“I have always said, ‘If you are serious about something and committed to it, show me the money,’ ” Linton said. “The money would come out of our hides. This will show our riders we are serious about improving service.”

Besides deciding how long a delay will have to be before riders get their money back, Metro staffers will also have to decide how fares will be refunded. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, for example, gives customers a voucher for a trip if a train is more than 15 minutes late.

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The system, which serves the Philadelphia area, offers refunds only for weekday trips and requires affected riders to submit a claim within five days of an incident. Board members said a service guarantee will be necessary to persuade discontented riders to continue riding Metro as fares increase. System officials are developing a plan that would call for fare hikes every two years based on growth in the consumer-price index or other economic indicators. A predictable schedule of increases, board members said, will be easier for customers to accept than raising fares unexpectedly when the system is desperate for new revenue.

“Service is the bottom line,” said D.C. Director of Transportation Emeka Moneme. “People are willing to pay for service if they are receiving the service they expect. The service has to be there or we will be in a difficult position to justify increases.”

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com