OTTAWA

OC Transpo riders can soon tap a credit card to pay the fare on buses, O-Train

Josh Pringle CTV News Ottawa Producer and Digital Lead

Published Saturday, August 22, 2020 7:58PM EDT

OC Transpo begins testing fare gates and ticket machines at Carling Station on the O-Train Trillium Line on Nov. 1, 2017.

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OTTAWA -- OC Transpo riders will soon be able to tap a credit card to board buses and the O-Train.

The City of Ottawa has announced OC Transpo has entered into an agreement with Scheidt & Bachmann to fast track additional contactless fare payment technology on its bus fleet and at O-Train stations with fare gates.

The city says OC Transpo and S&B will work together to develop and test the technology that will allow riders to tap a credit card at fare card readers to pay the transit fare.

Testing will take place throughout the rest of the year, with a new system expected to be ready for customers next year. The goal is to have the new payment option available on all buses and at O-Train fare gates in 2021.

The city says the addition of new payment options at fare gates and fare card readers on buses is being fast tracked in light of the COVID-19 pandemic so that OC Transpo can offer customers additional options to pay the fare while reducing contact points.

The new card readers will accept VISA and MasterCard, or by tapping a smartphone with Apple Pay or Google Pay.