WASHINGTON - Metro is considering hiking fares to rush hour rates on Inauguration Day in hopes of recouping some of the costs of added service.

Belinda Larry, a Metro commuter, plans to use the transit system when she heads down to Inauguration Day activities. She says the move would send the wrong message.

"It's a historical moment," Larry said. "Non-rush hour fares will help the economy, help those people who don't have the money to ride Metro in the first place."

Metro General Manager John Catoe plans to ask the transit agency's board of directors on Thursday to authorize rush hour fares for the 15 hours of inauguration service. The extra money will be used to offset increased costs for overtime, maintenance and electricity, including running eight-car trains and extra trains.

"We have to pull out all the stops here to meet an unprecedented demand for this large-scale event," Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said. "This is monumental. It requires monumental service, a monumental effort and we need to help recoup that cost."

Metro is preparing to set a record for ridership on Jan. 20. President Clinton's 1993 Inaugural set the ridership record that lasted until Ronald Reagan's 2005 state funeral.

Metro says its police and other key staff will be working 12-hour shifts. Police from other jurisdictions will also be brought in to help with crowd control.

The transit system also wants to charge a flat fee for parking, which would normally be free because it's treated as a federal holiday in the region.

Metro riders are split on the proposed fee changes.

"They're going to make plenty of money anyway that day," said Patrick Pendergast "I don't see why they have to charge rush hour fares."

"I think it's probably fair because they're going to be running more trains and there's going to be so many people that the cost is probably going to rise anyway," Katie Smith said.

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