The new Tcard smart card!
The mag stripe Tcard will no longer work on the farebox after June 30, 2024.
UPDATE: May 13, 2024
TCAT will begin switching over to the new fare media, including smart cards and mobile apps. This changeover will be completed by June 30 after which time current Tcards will no longer work on the fare box.
Starting Tues., May 21, you can transfer your balances from your current Tcard and receive an all new smart card, same “Tcard” name but with a different design. If you are transferring balances onto the new smart card, you will not be required to pay the $3 card fee. You can do this in person at TCAT’s offices, 737 Willow Ave., Ithaca, NY, 14850, from 8 a.m,. to 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. or by calling us at (607) 277-7433 (RIDE).
To create a new account please see the new Tcard store. New smart cards, which are durable and manufactured for long-term use, cost $3 in addition to the fare.
The mobile app, Tfare, can be downloaded from the Google Play for Android devices or the App store for iOS devises. There is no charge to use the app.
Any Questions?
Please email us at tcat@tcatmail.com.(Please write fare media in the subject line.) Or you can call us at (607) 277-RIDE (7433).
New fare system, but same cost to ride the bus!
TCAT’s new fare collection system is funded by a combination of federal and state dollars.
We strive to keep the cost of riding TCAT as inexpensive as possible. TCAT has not raised fares since 2012, but only for riders boarding in rural areas due to the expense of traveling farther away from the Greater Ithaca Area. In 2019, that extra fare for rural riders was eliminated with all customers now enjoying a flat fare of $1.50 for adults and $0.75/ half fare for seniors 60 and older and persons with disabilities.
The more rides or consecutive days you buy on your Tcard at a time, the more you save!
The new fare mobile app Tfare can be downloaded from Google Play for Android and the App store for iOS.
Riders can either pay cash fare (exact change only) as usual, $1.50 per single adult ride or $0.75 for those who qualify for half fare to include persons with disabilities.
Or…
They can swipe their existing Tcards cards on the new mag stripe reader now through Sun., June 30.
FreeRyde
Youth STILL ride free!
Anyone with an existing FreeRyde card should hang onto it and should continue swiping on the new farebox reader through Sept. 6, 2024. FreeRyde users will have access to the new fare media starting August 2024.
Those ages 14 to 17 (or older and enrolled in high school) need to have a “FreeRyde” card to swipe at the farebox. These cards are distributed by local schools or youth programs. TCAT also issues FreeRyde cards. See TCAT’s FreeRyde page.
The requirement for older students to have swipe cards was instituted to enable bus operators to distinguish local youth from college students and adults. Those 13 and under will continue to be able to board the bus without a card. As with previous policy, children 5 years and younger ride free (with no card required), so long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Basic Cash Fares
To pay fares in cash,please insert bills and coins in the marked areas on the new farebox. Please make sure you have the exact cash fare as neither the machine nor drivers can give you change. The new farebox system will continue to accept cash fares. The cost of a single ride is as follows:
| Fare Type | Cost |
| Adult (Ages 18-59) | $1.50 |
| Youth (Ages 0-17) | $0.00 – See FreeRyde |
| Seniors (Ages 60+) | $0.75 |
| Persons with disabilities | $0.75 |
Tcard pricing
You can add different types of passes onto your Tcard. The first type of passes are length-based passes, ranging from 1 Day to an unlimited number of days, that entitle you to an unlimited rides anywhere in the TCAT system for the duration of your pass, counting from the first day that the pass is used. The second type are ride-based passes. These passes never expire, but entitle you to only the specified number of rides you purchase. Please note that a one-way trip counts as one ride used. Thus, a roundtrip ride would cost two rides. If you are a frequent rider, we suggest you purchase either type of pass because the cost per ride with a pass is cheaper. Generally, the longer the duration of your pass or the more trips purchased, the cheaper the cost per ride becomes.
Pricing (Length-Based):
| Pass Type/Duration | Cost |
| 1 Day Pass | $3.00 |
| 2-Day Pass | $6.00 |
| 5-Day Pass | $15.00 |
| Weekly Pass | $17.50 |
| Monthly Pass | $45.00 |
| Annual Pass | $450.00 NOT RECOMMENDED due to new fare media arriving in May 2024. |
If those durations do not work for you, our length-based passes are also customizable! You may purchase a pass that lasts for however many number of days you need.
| Pass Type/Duration | Cost |
| 1-6 Consecutive Days | $3.00/day |
| 7-30 Consecutive Days | $2.50/day |
| 31-364 Consecutive Days | $1.50/day |
| 365+ Consecutive Days | $1.25/day |
Pricing (Ride-Based):
| Pass Type/Duration | Cost |
| 1-14 Adult Rides | $1.50/ride |
| 15+ Adult Rides | $1.33/ride |
Some of our more popular pass types include:
| Pass Type/Duration | Cost |
| 15-Ride Pass | $20.00 |
| 15-Ride Pass Half-Fare (Seniors) | $10.00 (Youth ride free starting 5/29/22) |
Ithaca College and TC3
Ithaca College for the spring and summer semesters 2024 need only show their ID at the farebox. Bus operators will manually count IC passes at the farebox and TCAT will invoice IC for those rides at the end of spring semester.
TC3 students can no longer use their college IDs to load passes. TCAT is providing discounted passes (based on previous subsidies). Monthly passes are $25 and 15-ride passes are $10 for students who are enrolled at TC3.
Cornell riders
Cornell IDs, as mentioned above, can only be validated by swiping on the mag stripe reader. (See blue arrows pointing to the reader on the photo, left.) The IDs can be swiped in either direction with the magstripe facing the rider. (CU IDs cannot be tapped on the smartcard target.) See College Students page.
Additional Fare Information
Transfers
If you pay your fare in cash and need more than one bus route to get you to your destination, transfer slips are available at no additional cost. When boarding the bus, you should either request a transfer from the Bus Operator, or use your already-obtained transfer slip in lieu of paying the fare. Riders are allowed up to two transfers to complete their trip. Transfers are good for a continuous one way trip on the day of issue and will only be honored on the next available bus. They will not be accepted on any trip that will return the passenger to the area in which the transfer was originally issued, nor to re-board the same route.
Day or semester pass holders do not need a transfer slip. Simply swipe your card again.
TCAT Military Personnel Fare Policy
Active Duty Military and Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) students ride free. You must demonstrate military service by either being dressed in an official U.S.-issued military formal or informal uniform and/or presenting a current military ID.
Youth in High School and Younger
As mentioned above, through the FreeRyde program launched in 2022, any youth enrolled in high school and younger ride free. As with previous policy, children five years old and younger ride free and must be accompanied by a responsible adult (up to three children per adult).
Half-fare for Senior Citizens, Medicare Cardholders and Persons with Disabilities
Persons 60 years old or older, medicare cardholders, persons with a disability and those currently receiving SSI, SSD, or disabled veterans benefits are eligible to pay half-fare on the TCAT bus (this does not apply to Gadabout or ADA paratransit services.) The bus operator may ask for proof of eligibility. Acceptable forms of proof of eligibility are your Medicare card, Senior Citizen’s Discount Card, drivers license or your TCAT half-fare identification card (purple card).
If you have a disability that prevents you from using the TCAT bus, then you may be eligible for complementary paratransit, a specialized, door-to-door transport service for people who are not able to ride the fixed-route transit system because of a disability.
Please see our ADA/Accessibility section for more information.