Transit pass
Encyclopedia
A transit pass is a ticket that allows a passenger of the service take either a certain number of pre-purchased trips, or unlimited trips within a fixed period of time. Depending on the transport network and the amount of use of the pass that is made, the pass may offer varying discounts compared with trips that are purchased individually.
While transit passes can generally be purchased at full price by anyone wishing to use the services (senior citizen
s, the disabled, student
s and some others are often able to get them at a reduced price) many employers, college
s, and universities
will subsidize the cost of them, or sometimes the full amount. Some public transport networks will allow certain types of personnel, including police officer
s, fire fighters, active military, and their own employees to ride their services for free with proper identification and without the need to purchase a pass.
between buses and subway. Weekly passes are $29, and monthly passes are $104. Multi-trip Metrocards are also available that provide a 7% discount when purchasing at least $10 of credit. Further information of New York MTA fares can be found here.
1-Day($5.75), 3-Day($14), 7-Day($23), 30-Day($86) http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/fares/unlimitedridecards.aspx
While fares for individual trips vary, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
offers various passes for riding bus and Metrorail
. A seven-day regular fare pass for unlimited Metrorail rides is $47, but this cannot be used on buses. A one-day rail-only pass is available for $9.00, but on weekdays, this is not valid until after 9:30 AM. A weekly Metrobus
pass is available for $15 at regular fare, and it cannot be used on Metrorail.
Riders of Metrorail and Metrobus can transfer between the two services and enjoy a $0.50 discount if they use an electronic Smartrip
card. Those transferring between any two Metrorail lines can change trains without exiting the gate, thereby incurring no additional fare or requiring a transfer slip.
Transfers are honored both ways between Metrobus and Montgomery County's
Ride-on bus service
. Ride-on accepts transfers from Metrorail for an additional 35¢ (waived for senior citizens), but there are no transfers from Ride-on buses to Metrorail.
For $102 more than the price of a MARC train
monthly ticket, a Transit Link Card granting unlimited Metrorail and Metrobus trips for the month of the MARC ticket can be purchased. MARC monthly passes are also honored as fare payment for all Maryland Transit Administration
bus, Metro
and Light Rail
services in the Baltimore
area at no extra cost.
The Maryland Transit Administration within the Baltimore area generally charges $1.60 for a single trip on one local bus or train. The agency abolished transfers in 1996 in favor of day passes, which at the time were $3.00 and are currently $3.50. Those taking multi-bus/train trips are encouraged to purchase day passes, which at regular fare, are the cost of two one-way trips plus 30¢. Weekly and monthly passes are also available, and all such passes since 2005 have been called "GO-passes." The only transfers that are allowed in the system without additional fare payment are between the various lines of the light rail.
For further reading on WMATA fares, see here. For Baltimore area MTA fares, see here.
area there are multiple Trimet
day pass options based on zone of travel. Zone one being in the central city and downtown areas and zone 2 and 3 expanding outward into the suburbs. Prices range from 2.30 to 4.75 for all zones all day with as many transfers as one wants. There are also 7 day, 14 day, and annual passes (which range from roughly $22-1000). There are student discounts and "honored citizen" AKA 65+ discount as well.
see http://trimet.org/fares/index.htm for more info on passes in trimet.
. Additionally, passes valid for a 3-day period can be purchased for $12.00 at a limited number of locations.
is rare to offer an annual pass in addition to passes valid for one, three, seven, or thirty-one days. The cost of an annual pass is $100 for adults and $50 for students. All other types of passes are available at adult prices only.
, Everett Transit
, Community Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit
and Kitsap Transit
offer free transfers via the ORCA Card
only, and these transfers are good for two hours after the user taps the card against the reader. When using ORCA, users get full credit for the fare paid on the original trip on any trip on any of the mentioned systems. King County Metro and Pierce Transit also issue paper transfers. These transfers are valid only on the system which issued them. Commuter rail and light rail tickets are valid for one trip only, and no free paper transfers to or from rail are issued or accepted. The agency also issues universal passes, which can be loaded onto the user's ORCA card. Also, ORCA also provides services to organizations wishing to purchase transit services on behalf of their employees or students.
offers free transfers with all base fares, and they are valid until the time shown at the bottom, which may vary depending on the driver. Transfers may be used only on lines connecting to the one from which the transfer was obtained.
also offers free transfers with all base fares, and these transfers are valid for up to 60 min from the time of fare payment in what is termed power hour by the agency. The transfer is honoured on any line in the system, but the agency allows the transfer to be used even for a return trip on the same line within that time. The agency also offers weekly and monthly passes and 10-trip tickets.
anyone over the "age of eligibility" and people with certain disabilities travel free on most public bus
es throughout the country at certain times (typically between 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and Bank Holiday
s) through the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme
. Some councils also allow these people to travel for free on trains, trams
or ferries
. This scheme was also introduced in Wales
in 2002, in Scotland
in April 2006, and later in England
. Northern Ireland
runs a similar scheme but the age limit is 66.
The "age of eligibility" was 60 until 6 June 2010, but it will increase over ten years to 65, in line with parallel changes to women's eligibility for state old age pension.
smartcard many transport operators, including bus, minibus and railway companies provide free transfers or discounts on the second leg of the journey. Also, the major bus companies, as well as MTR
, the railway operator, offer a discounted flat fare for senior citizens on certain days of the week, at HK$1 and HK$2 respectively.
offers the Discovery Pass which allows unlimited travel in the United States
or Canada
for a period of time purchased, which may be 7, 15, 30, or 60 days. There is a greater discount per trip for passes purchased for longer periods Passengers can ride anywhere throughout the US and Canada along with some destinations past the US/Mexican border.
In 2010 appeared the first non-rechargeable disposable paper-based electronic transit passes for a certain number amount of trips on trams, trolleybuses and buses. They are sold with a protective foil sticker, which should be removed prior to first use. They are not time-limited except that they expire 30 days after the countrywide or citywide fare changes, which happens usually each 1-2 years.
While transit passes can generally be purchased at full price by anyone wishing to use the services (senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s, the disabled, student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and some others are often able to get them at a reduced price) many employers, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s, and universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
will subsidize the cost of them, or sometimes the full amount. Some public transport networks will allow certain types of personnel, including police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s, fire fighters, active military, and their own employees to ride their services for free with proper identification and without the need to purchase a pass.
Types of passes
Some common forms of transit passes are:- Day pass - offers unlimited rides for day of purchase. Usually available for purchase on the bus being boarded.
- Weekly pass - allows for unlimited rides for a seven-day period. While some networks allow for the pass to be purchased for any seven-day period, others offer these passes only for the same range of seven days (usually either Sunday to Saturday or Monday to Sunday).
- Monthly pass - allows for unlimited rides for an entire month. Since months vary in length, the discount for the use of such a pass varies each month. Some networks allow the pass to be used for a specified 30-day or 31-day period that does not necessarily have to start on the first of the month.
- Annual pass - allows for unlimited rides for the entire year and usually offers a higher discount than the monthly pass.
- Multi-trip tickets - allow with a bundle of single trips purchased for a fare often reduced per trip. Historically, these have often been in the form of tokensToken coinIn the study of numismatics, tokens are coin-like objects used instead of coins. The field of tokens is part of exonumia. Tokens are used in place of coins and either have a denomination shown or implied by size, color or shape...
, but tokens are being discontinued in many places in favor of more high-tech methods of fare collection.
Examples of transit passes
Some examples of transit passes available from various geographic are as follows:New York City
On New York City Transit, a one-way fare is currently $2.50 per trip, and allows for free transfersTransfer (public transit)
A transfer allows the rider of a public transportation vehicle who pays for a single-trip fare to continue the trip on another bus or train. Depending on the network, there may or may not be an additional fee for the transfer...
between buses and subway. Weekly passes are $29, and monthly passes are $104. Multi-trip Metrocards are also available that provide a 7% discount when purchasing at least $10 of credit. Further information of New York MTA fares can be found here.
Chicago
Unlimited Ride passes allow travel on all CTA buses and trains with a 1-Day Fun Pass, or 3-day, 7-day or 30-day unlimited-ride passes. The pass activates the first time you use it and is good for the number of consecutive days shown on the front of the pass.1-Day($5.75), 3-Day($14), 7-Day($23), 30-Day($86) http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/fares/unlimitedridecards.aspx
San Francisco
CityPASS Muni and Cable Car 7-day Passport tickets include unlimited transportation on Muni for seven consecutive days beginning day of first CityPASS use. The price is ($64) Adults ($39) Kids 5-12. http://www.citypass.com/san-francisco/muni-cable-car.Washington, D.C. area
[This Needs Updating As Fare Vehicles Have Recently Changed]While fares for individual trips vary, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess...
offers various passes for riding bus and Metrorail
Metrorail
Metrorail may refer to:* Metrorail , a commuter rail system operator in South Africa** Metrorail Eastern Cape, commuter rail lines serving Port Elizabeth and East London...
. A seven-day regular fare pass for unlimited Metrorail rides is $47, but this cannot be used on buses. A one-day rail-only pass is available for $9.00, but on weekdays, this is not valid until after 9:30 AM. A weekly Metrobus
Metrobus
Metrobus may refer to:* MCW Metrobus, a bus model manufactured by MCW in the 1970s and 1980s* Metrobus a bus operator in south-east England* M-é-t-r-o-b-u-s, the bus and metro operator Tramway de Rouen in Rouen, France...
pass is available for $15 at regular fare, and it cannot be used on Metrorail.
Riders of Metrorail and Metrobus can transfer between the two services and enjoy a $0.50 discount if they use an electronic Smartrip
SmarTrip
SmarTrip is a plastic contact-less stored-value smart card used for payment within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system in Washington, D.C...
card. Those transferring between any two Metrorail lines can change trains without exiting the gate, thereby incurring no additional fare or requiring a transfer slip.
Transfers are honored both ways between Metrobus and Montgomery County's
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
Ride-on bus service
Ride On (bus)
Ride On is the primary public transportation system in Montgomery County, Maryland. Ride On serves Montgomery County as well as the community of Langley Park in Prince George's County...
. Ride-on accepts transfers from Metrorail for an additional 35¢ (waived for senior citizens), but there are no transfers from Ride-on buses to Metrorail.
For $102 more than the price of a MARC train
MARC Train
MARC , known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration , a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract...
monthly ticket, a Transit Link Card granting unlimited Metrorail and Metrobus trips for the month of the MARC ticket can be purchased. MARC monthly passes are also honored as fare payment for all Maryland Transit Administration
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. It is better known as MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities' transit agencies who share the initials MTA. The MTA operates a...
bus, Metro
Baltimore Metro Subway
The Baltimore Metro Subway, known locally as the Metro Subway, The Subway, or Baltimore Metro is a rapid transit line serving the greater Baltimore, Maryland, United States area and operated by the Maryland Transit Administration...
and Light Rail
Baltimore Light Rail
The Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding suburbs.In downtown Baltimore it uses city streets...
services in the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
area at no extra cost.
The Maryland Transit Administration within the Baltimore area generally charges $1.60 for a single trip on one local bus or train. The agency abolished transfers in 1996 in favor of day passes, which at the time were $3.00 and are currently $3.50. Those taking multi-bus/train trips are encouraged to purchase day passes, which at regular fare, are the cost of two one-way trips plus 30¢. Weekly and monthly passes are also available, and all such passes since 2005 have been called "GO-passes." The only transfers that are allowed in the system without additional fare payment are between the various lines of the light rail.
For further reading on WMATA fares, see here. For Baltimore area MTA fares, see here.
Portland Metro Area
In the Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
area there are multiple Trimet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
day pass options based on zone of travel. Zone one being in the central city and downtown areas and zone 2 and 3 expanding outward into the suburbs. Prices range from 2.30 to 4.75 for all zones all day with as many transfers as one wants. There are also 7 day, 14 day, and annual passes (which range from roughly $22-1000). There are student discounts and "honored citizen" AKA 65+ discount as well.
see http://trimet.org/fares/index.htm for more info on passes in trimet.
New Orleans
In New Orleans, both transfers and day passes are available. A transfer may be purchased for 25¢ in addition to the $1.25 base fare. Day passes can be purchased for $5.00 when boarding any bus or streetcarStreetcars in New Orleans
Streetcars in New Orleans have been an integral part of the city's public transportation network since the first half of the 19th century. The longest of New Orleans' streetcar lines, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world,...
. Additionally, passes valid for a 3-day period can be purchased for $12.00 at a limited number of locations.
Martha's Vineyard
In Martha's VineyardMartha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
is rare to offer an annual pass in addition to passes valid for one, three, seven, or thirty-one days. The cost of an annual pass is $100 for adults and $50 for students. All other types of passes are available at adult prices only.
Seattle region
Sound TransitSound Transit
Sound Transit has been the popular name of Washington state's Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority since September 19, 1999. It was formed in 1996 by the Snohomish, King, and Pierce County Councils...
, Everett Transit
Everett Transit
Everett Transit is the public transit authority of Everett, Washington, the only city in Snohomish County not to belong to Community Transit. As of 2010, Everett Transit operates 49 buses within Everett on 18 routes...
, Community Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit
Pierce Transit
Pierce Transit, in full the Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, is the public transit authority of Pierce County, Washington. Based in Lakewood, Washington, it was founded in 1979...
and Kitsap Transit
Kitsap Transit
Kitsap Transit is a public transportation agency serving Kitsap County, Washington, USA. The system is based in Bremerton, Washington and is overseen by a nine-member board composed of the three county commissioners, the mayors of the four incorporated cities in Kitsap County and two Bremerton City...
offer free transfers via the ORCA Card
Orca Card
The ORCA ' Card is a contactless, stored value smart card used for payment of public transport fares in the Puget Sound region...
only, and these transfers are good for two hours after the user taps the card against the reader. When using ORCA, users get full credit for the fare paid on the original trip on any trip on any of the mentioned systems. King County Metro and Pierce Transit also issue paper transfers. These transfers are valid only on the system which issued them. Commuter rail and light rail tickets are valid for one trip only, and no free paper transfers to or from rail are issued or accepted. The agency also issues universal passes, which can be loaded onto the user's ORCA card. Also, ORCA also provides services to organizations wishing to purchase transit services on behalf of their employees or students.
Toronto
The Toronto Transit CommissionToronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
offers free transfers with all base fares, and they are valid until the time shown at the bottom, which may vary depending on the driver. Transfers may be used only on lines connecting to the one from which the transfer was obtained.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg TransitWinnipeg Transit
Winnipeg Transit is the public transit agency in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is a bus-only operator.The Winnipeg Street Railway operated a horse car operation from 1882 to 1894...
also offers free transfers with all base fares, and these transfers are valid for up to 60 min from the time of fare payment in what is termed power hour by the agency. The transfer is honoured on any line in the system, but the agency allows the transfer to be used even for a return trip on the same line within that time. The agency also offers weekly and monthly passes and 10-trip tickets.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
anyone over the "age of eligibility" and people with certain disabilities travel free on most public bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es throughout the country at certain times (typically between 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
s) through the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme
English National Concessionary Travel Scheme
The English National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme is a national scheme by the Department for Transport in conjunction with Local Authorities across England....
. Some councils also allow these people to travel for free on trains, trams
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
or ferries
Mersey Ferry
The Mersey Ferry is a ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula. Ferries have been used on this route since at least the 12th century, and continue to be popular for both local people and visitors.The current fleet consists of...
. This scheme was also introduced in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 2002, in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in April 2006, and later in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
runs a similar scheme but the age limit is 66.
The "age of eligibility" was 60 until 6 June 2010, but it will increase over ten years to 65, in line with parallel changes to women's eligibility for state old age pension.
Hong Kong
With the OctopusOctopus card
The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong...
smartcard many transport operators, including bus, minibus and railway companies provide free transfers or discounts on the second leg of the journey. Also, the major bus companies, as well as MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
, the railway operator, offer a discounted flat fare for senior citizens on certain days of the week, at HK$1 and HK$2 respectively.
Greyhound
Greyhound LinesGreyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
offers the Discovery Pass which allows unlimited travel in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for a period of time purchased, which may be 7, 15, 30, or 60 days. There is a greater discount per trip for passes purchased for longer periods Passengers can ride anywhere throughout the US and Canada along with some destinations past the US/Mexican border.
Russia
Prepaid transit passes are moving toward electronic plastic-based or paper-based contactless cards.Saint Petersburg
Early cards are plastic based and limited only for underground railway trips. For surface transportation they have unlimited trips within a fixed period of time. A passenger has to pay a security deposit of 30 roubles for the card itself. When the pass expires, passenger can recharge it with the same or another type of fare or return the card and get the security deposit back. The card itself expires 90 days after not being recharged. In this case, the security deposit cannot be returned.In 2010 appeared the first non-rechargeable disposable paper-based electronic transit passes for a certain number amount of trips on trams, trolleybuses and buses. They are sold with a protective foil sticker, which should be removed prior to first use. They are not time-limited except that they expire 30 days after the countrywide or citywide fare changes, which happens usually each 1-2 years.