Transit riders seeking to get Metro’s bus-to-bus or rail-to-bus discount will need to do so now with a SmarTrip card. Yesterday was the last day Metro accepted or gave out paper transfers.

With the change, Metro extended the period in which transferring riders would be eligible for a discount from two to three hours. The organization also added a 50-cent discount on bus-to-rail transfers – meaning that riders will save a half dollar on any switch between bus and rail.

Metro justified the change by saying it would save the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs as well as restore revenue that had been lost by riders using outdated transfers.

SmarTrip cards can be purchased at Metro’s Web site, select Metro stations, and some CVS stores.