New fareboxes will be in service on all SMTD vehicles starting on Monday, August 23rd. They may look a bit more complicated than before, but they are in fact easy to use and will be more useful to passengers going forward.
Here are the features going live on the 23rd:
Automatic bill and coin validator.
Transfers are automatically printed by the farebox and allow you to transfer to any other bus within 75 minutes of the time it was issued.
Exact change is no longer necessary! Though drivers still can’t make change, any amount paid over the fare will be printed onto a credit slip that can be used to pay for future rides. Pennies will no longer be accepted, but all other US currency up to $20 bills can be used.
Day passes can be purchased at the farebox for $3.00, giving you unlimited rides for the rest of the day.
More features will be implemented in phases over the coming months:
Account-based smart cards that you can reload with credit/debit
More period passes like 7-day or 31-day passes
Mobile app for managing your card(s)
SMTD fare cards available at more locations, like the gift cards you see in checkout aisles at grocery and department stores
Lastly, here are some answers to common questions you are likely to have:
Does this mean the fare is going up?
There is no plan for a fare increase at this time.
I still have punches left on my bus pass. Can I still use it? What about tokens?
Yes, the old punch cards and tokens can still be used. Eventually they will be phased out entirely, but that will be long after the new passes have been made widely available.
What about discount or free ride ID cards?
All SMTD-issued discount or free ride ID cards will continue to work exactly the same. In the future their design may change slightly to enable smart card capabilities, so you can just tap it on the farebox when you board a bus.
We’re excited for passengers to use the new fareboxes and look forward to providing even more useful ways to ride public transportation!
