Boarding a Capital Metro bus just got a lot easier. Transit users can now buy a fare using any smartphone or credit card that has tap-to-pay.
An official launch date of Feb. 1 was announced Friday. But the service is already available on all 400-plus CapMetro buses. The transit agency actually started rolling out the service in December, and some savvy transit users recognized the tap-to-pay logo and started using the service.
"This is the type of thing that we're so excited about," CapMetro executive vice president Samantha Baez said. "It creates a different customer experience."
Tap-to-pay users can take advantage of CapMetro's fare capping policy. That means people riding a local bus won't pay more than $2.50 per day. For commuters, the daily fare cap is $7. Those looking for monthly fare capping will still need to use a reloadable fare card.
Tap-to-pay was initially expected to launch March 2025. But after CapMetro realized how many hoops they'd have to jump through to certify their mobile payment system, the agency pushed back the timeline.
"It took months to get the approvals," Baez said. "You have to show that you've got all of your ducks in a row, and that everything is secure and reliable. ... And imagine that doing that on a moving vehicle, right? You've got to make sure you have a secure connection."
The technological hurdles and federal regulations proved too complex for CapMetro to allow tap-to-pay on trains for now.
The change is part of a sweeping overhaul of CapMetro's fare system after the last system collapsed, resulting in untold losses of fare revenue. The transit agency scrambled to fire the company and hire a replacement firm.
"We really are working our tails off to make the fare payment experience so much better for our customers," Baez said. "We're going to keep improving it through this year too."
