Quick. Easy. Secure. 

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

Introduction

Tap & Ride contactless bus fare payments are currently available on-board River Valley Transit, and CTtransit Meriden Division fixed-route buses.  

Tap & Ride payment readers allow customers to tap a card that supports contactless payments or smart device with mobile wallet to purchase their fare on-board the bus. The payment readers only accept Visa and Mastercard branded cards at this time. 

Please Note: Tap & Ride provides customers with an additional payment option. Tap & Ride is not a replacement for any existing methods of fare payment. All existing methods of payment will remain.

How to Tap & Ride

1. Tap your card or smart device to the contactless payment reader.
2. Wait for the screen to turn green and display the text "GO!” with an audible chime. You will be charged $1.75 (S/D $0.85) on your first tap.
3. Enjoy the ride! You can use Tap & Ride on as many trips as you need without worry, your card will not be charged again for another 2 hours*. 

 *Please see the section below entitled "Fare Capping: You tap, we do the math!" for more information about Tap & Ride fare policy. 

Tap & Ride Routes

Any bus that contains a payment reader (pictured above), will accept contactless fare payments. 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

How to View Contactless Fare Payment History

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 view your fare payment history, click the following link: Tap & Ride's Customer Transactions Inquiry Page

For your awareness, the Customer Transactions Inquiry Page does have a UK web address. Only transactions within the last 14 days will be shown. 

Senior/Disabled Registration

Tap & Ride now offers on-board contactless fare payments to customers who qualify for the Senior/Disabled reduced fare rate. In order to use Tap & Ride with the Senior/Disabled reduced rate, customers must register a Visa or Mastercard branded card that supports contactless payments. 

Online Registration Form: Tap and Ride Senior/Disability Eligibility Form

The form requires customers to provide the following information: 

• Contact information

• Card information - First 6 and last 4 digits of your card number and expiration date

• Proof of eligibility - Medicare card, Government issued ID card with date of birth, or reduced fare Go CT card. 

• Input card information to sign onto Tap & Ride Customer Transactions Inquiry Page - DO NOT SKIP

There are three ways that eligible customers can submit their registration form:

1. Fill out the form online using the links provided above.
2. Submit a paper form in-person at the River Valley Transit bus terminal (340 Main St. Middletown, CT) and input card information to sign into the Customer Transactions Inquiry Page.
3. Print PDF version of registration form, input card info to sign into the Customer Transactions Inquiry Page, attach photocopy proof of eligibility and send to:

River Valley Transit

Attn: Senior/ Disability Reduced Fare

91 N Main St. Middletown, CT 06457

Fare Capping: You tap, we do the math!

With Tap & Ride’s fare capping feature, the contactless payment reader knows how long you've been riding and will ensure that you are never paying more than the cost of a day pass or 31-day pass within that period of time. Using Tap & Ride you cannot be charged more than $3.50 total in a 24-hour period or $52.50 total in a 31-day period. 

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 only or your physical card only for all of your contactless fare payments. Do not alternate. Even if your card information is loaded onto your mobile wallet the system will recognize it as a separate form of payment, and you will not receive the proper fare cap. 

2 - Hour
Standard Fare: $1.75 Senior/Disabled Reduced Fare: $0.85

Day Pass*
Standard Fare: $3.50 Senior/Disabled Reduced Fare: $1.70

31-Day Pass**
Standard Fare: $52.50 Senior/Disabled Reduced Fare: $25.50

*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.

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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