Quick. Easy. Secure. 

A contactless bus fare payment pilot through the Connecticut Integrated Transit Mobility Project (CT-ITMP)



Illustration of hands holding a smart phone and a bank card outstretched to tap the contactless payment reader

Introduction

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), River Valley Transit, and CTtransit Meriden Division are excited to introduce the Tap & Ride pilot project. The goal of the Tap & Ride pilot is to provide a new fare payment option that is quick, easy, and secure for customers.  

Starting fall 2024, River Valley Transit and CTtransit Meriden Division buses will be updated with new contactless payment readers that allow customers the option to tap their mobile wallet, debit/credit, or pre-paid cards to purchase their fares on-board.  

Please note: Tap & Ride contactless payment readers are only able to accept Visa and Mastercard cards at this time. All current forms of fare payment will continue to be accepted. 

How to Tap & Ride

1. Tap your mobile wallet or card that supports contactless payments to the payment reader 

2. Wait for the screen on the payment reader to turn green and display ”GO!” with an audio confirmation.  

3. Enjoy the ride! 

Contactless payment reader pictured below: 

Hand holding bank card preparing to tap contactless bus fare payment reader.

Tap & Ride Routes

All fixed-route River Valley Transit buses are equipped with contactless payment readers. River Valley Transit routes can be viewed at the following link: River Valley Transit Routes. 

Contactless payment readers are not installed on dial-a-ride services such as Xtra-Mile and ADA Paratransit. These services are not included in the Tap & Ride pilot.

Five CTtransit Meriden Division routes are included in the Tap & Ride pilot. 

CTtransit Tap & Ride routes:
561 Meriden Mall
563 Yale Acres
564 South Meriden
565 West Main Street
566 East Main Street

CTtransit routes and schedules can be viewed at the following link: CTtransit Local Routes

Please be aware: CTtransit routes 55 Hartford/Middletown, 201 Madison, 215 North Haven/Meriden/Wallingford, 291 Center Street, 292 North Colony Road, 511 New Britain/Meriden, 512 South Main Street/Berlin Turnpike, 567 Meriden/Wallingford, and 940 Meriden/Waterbury Express are not currently included in the Tap & Ride pilot. 

 

Route Map of Tap and Ride Service Area.

Route map of the Tap & Ride service areas with River Valley Transit and CTtransit Meriden Division routes and names listed. 

Transfers with Tap & Ride

If you are a customer of both River Valley Transit and CTtransit Meriden Division, you can appreciate the benefits of seamless transfers. Tap & Ride users can transfer easily on any bus with contactless payment readers by tapping any accepted form of contactless payment to the payment reader and boarding as usual. 

Customers who plan on riding in multiple CTtransit divisions should understand that purchasing your bus fare using Tap & Ride contactless payment readers will not cover your ride on CTtransit routes besides the six listed above. Transfers outside of River Valley Transit and CTtransit Meriden Division buses are not available at this time.

Fare Capping: You tap, we do the math!

With Tap & Ride’s fare capping feature, every time you tap to pay on-board, the contactless payment reader will calculate the number of trips you have taken to ensure that you are never paying more than the cost of a day-pass or 31-day pass over that period of time.

To get the benefit of fare capping you must use the same form of payment every time you tap. Make sure that you are using either your mobile wallet or your physical card for all of your contactless fare payments. Even if your card information is loaded onto your mobile wallet the system will recognize it as a separate form of payment. 

Fare Pricing Chart

Pass Type              2 - Hour Day Pass*              31-Day Pass**             
 Tap & Ride Fare Cost $1.75  $3.50 $52.50

 

*All day passes for customers using Tap & Ride will expire after 24-hours for both River Vally Transit and CTtransit Meriden Division.

** Customers who use Tap & Ride will never be charged more than $52.50 in a 31-day period regardless of whether they primarily travel with CTtransit Meriden Divison or River Valley Transit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Only Visa and Mastercard contactless payment cards will be accepted at this time. This includes Visa and Mastercard bank cards, mobile wallet taps using debit/credit or pre-paid cards from Visa and Mastercard. 
NO. Go CT cards, only offered on CTtransit vehicles, are not compatible with the Tap & Ride payment readers.
YES.  The entire solution is developed and maintained in compliance with the latest version of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), ensuring the highest level of security for payment card data and sensitive information. 
NO. Tap & Ride contactless payment readers currently do not have the capacity to charge the senior/disabled reduced fare rate. We will be sure to share the news of all project updates with customers as they are implemented. 
YES. All the current methods of fare payment will remain. The introduction of this technology will provide bus customers an additional option to pay for fares. You are not required to use Tap & Ride to pay your fare, but we do recommend trying it!

Through the Customer Transactions Inquiry Page, customers can easily access their payment history and see a detailed breakdown of each transaction, including the date, time, and fare amount for every trip taken. Customers can review their payment history at any time to track expenses or verify charges, ensuring transparency and convenience. This feature is designed to help passengers manage their transit spending efficiently while keeping their information secure. 

To log in, please click the following link: Tap & Ride's Customer Transactions Inquiry Page

If you do not currently have a contactless bank card our project partner, BankOn Connecticut, provides customers with options to expand their banking status. If you’d like more information about safe and affordable bank accounts, please visit cahs.org/bankon.html

Project Team Contact Information

Email Inbox: DOT.Transitcx@ct.gov  

Voicemail Inbox: (860) 594-3618 

River Valley Transit Website: River Valley Transit - Home

Customer Service: (860) 510-0429

CTtransit Website: CTtransit Connecticut DOT-owned bus service

Meriden Division Customer Service: (203) 753-2538 
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This project is made possible due to funding from a stage 1 USDOT Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SMART