With gas prices staying stubbornly high — around $4 a gallon — and the local and national economy still facing tough times, the Metro Board of Directors this past spring lowered the cost of Metro day passes from $6 to $5.

The lower price begins today, Monday, Aug. 1, with Metro customers now able to buy the $5 day pass at Metro ticket machines at rail stations (and the Orange Line busway) and when boarding Metro buses.

Customers can load the day passes on a TAP card. Those who don’t already have a TAP card, will need to buy one. The cards are $2 from ticket machines and $1 aboard the bus — plus, of course, the $5 cost of the day pass.

TAP cards are reusable, although they must be replaced every three years. In other words, once you have a TAP card, it’s possible to load several different fare products on the cards online and it’s a lot easier than fumbling for change at the farebox or ticket machine.

Customers will be able to load day passes onto their TAP cards at customer service centers and other retail outlets that sell TAP beginning next Monday, Aug. 8.

One reason the Metro Board voted for the change was to see if the lower cost will help boost Metro ridership. The change was also made at the same time that the Board approved rolling weekly and monthly passes that begin when customers first use them instead of being tied directly to calendar weeks and months.