For those of you living life in the red, Metro is about to make you shape up.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced today that it would drop the price of the SmarTrip card from $5 to $2 on Oct. 1. (Riders purchasing a card at a station vending machine or CVS store will still pay $10, but the card will come loaded with $8 on it.)

But in exchange for the lower prices, riders will no longer be able to exit the Metro with a negative  balance of $1.50 or more—-which is less than the cheapest Metro ride. Riders with less than $1.50 on their card will have to put more value on their cards on an Exitfare machine that only accepts cash. And they’ll need at least $1.20 on their cards to enter the system.

Guess that means no more temporarily freeloading off the government for your transit needs, Metro riders.

Photo by Mr. T in D.C. used under a Creative Commons license.