Fare & Pass Options 2024

New fare media to include smart cards and mobile pay apps will not be available until May 2024

New fare media delayed until late spring 2024 

UPDATE: January 2024

An Apology to Our Riders

TCAT’s new fare collection system is live but we’re not quite ready for prime time!

Smart cards and mobile pay apps won’t be available until end of May 2024

Due to unforeseen delays, smart cards and mobile apps that are compatible with TCAT’s new fare collection system will not be available until the end of May 2024. We had previously announced that they would be available in Fall 2023 following the summer installation of new, modernized fareboxes in our buses.

Unfortunately, we’ve encountered some additional challenges with system integration, testing and other backend issues that are causing these delays. Until we can roll out the new fare media, we are asking riders to just continue doing what they have been doing since the modernized fare boxes started appearing on our buses last summer.

 

FreeRyde

Youth STILL ride free!

Photo of new pass with skateboarder and a TCAT bus. Text says FreeRYde; Youth Pass

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.

 

Ithaca College and TC3

Ithaca College for the spring semester 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.

See College Students page

 

 

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. Fobs will not work on the system. Riders with fobs should contact TCAT at tcat@tcatmail.com or call us at (607)277-RIDE (7433), and we will arrange to transfer any balances you have on your fob to a Tcard, which we will send to you. You can also do this by visiting us in person at 737 Willow Ave., Ithaca, 8am to 5pm. Mon.-Fri.  Another option: Email us at tcat@tcatmail.com us with questions and your phone number. We will return your call to help you with this transaction and answer any questions.(Please write fare media in the subject line.)

Tcards and *FreeRyde cards will also need to be swiped on the new magstripe (magnetic card reader) in either direction with the mag stripe facing the rider. (See illustration, below.)  You will not be able to tap on the smartcard target or the barcode readers until the new smartcards and mobile apps (for barcode reader) become available.

Won’t see card balances on the bus just yet

Also, the farebox will not show balances but only indicate whether the card is valid. We are informing riders that we will later look at any remaining balances on their existing Tcard andswitch them to the new smartcards or mobile apps when they become available in late May. 

 

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.

 

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.

Tcard pricing

You can add different types of passes onto your Tcard on the TCAT store. 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)

 

Pass costs are cut in half for seniors (Ages 60+), Medicare cardholders, and those who are disabled. Please see the bottom of this page for more details.

General Information:

To view your Tcard balance,  call the TCAT office at (607) 277-RIDE. As mentioned above, the new farebox will not show balance information.

Riders are highly encouraged to register their Tcards.  Registering your card allows TCAT to look up your balances, authenticate your identity, and transfer remaining rides or days from the old card to the replacement.

If your Tcard does not work because of some technical error, please call (607) 277-RIDE and we will investigate the situation and do our best to rectify any mistakes.

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

 

 

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.

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