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CONNECT Electronic Fare Payment System
IMPLEMENTATION: SUMMER 2012
Our Goal
To improve the convenience of buying transit fares.
- Customers can purchase their fares from home. You never have to make a special trip or stand in line to purchase fares again.
- Using the CONNECT card will decrease the time it takes to pay their fare when boarding the bus or CTrain.
- Customers will have increased flexibility to purchase different payment options that may be offered
Current Fare Products
- Cash
- Single tickets
- Book of 10 tickets – adult/youth
- Monthly pass – adult/youth
- Day pass – adult/youth
- Airport pass
- Monthly Low Income Transit Pass (LITP)
- Annual Senior Citizen Transit Pass (SCTP)
- Upass
View current fare product details
Current Fare Options That Will Remain with CONNECT
- Cash (bus & LRT)
- Single tickets and books of 10 paper tickets will still be available.
- Upass will be available as an e-sticker affixed to students’ ID cards.
- 90-minute transfers will still be available.
New CONNECT Fare Options
- Customers can use an electronic card to pay their transit fare
- Customers may choose either a DISPOSABLE or RELOADABLE card
- There will be 3 categories – Adult (red), Youth (blue), Seniors (yellow)
CONNECT Fare Media
Disposable Cards
- Will be available as Monthly passes and airport passes.
Reloadable Cards
- Can be purchased and loaded with time, (calendar month), trips, (ten rides) or cash.
- Seniors will be able to load a year on their card.
- Once tapped at a reader, cards loaded with rides or cash will be good for 90 minutes to allow for transferring.
Reloadable Cards
Never have to make a special trip to purchase fares again!
- Available at all Calgary Transit sales outlets such as 7-Eleven, Mac’s, CO-OP, and Safeway.
- Look for special promotions prior to launch date, to be announced soon.
- There will be a nominal price charged for reloadable cards.
- Reloadable Cards will have no value when purchased. Customers must go online to load them with time, trips, or cash.
- Customers must establish an account and register their card to access all benefits
- Customers that have established an account and registered their card can receive extra features:
- Auto load
- Lost card protection
- Negative balance protection
- The ability to review, print and download their purchase and usage history.
- Customers can access their account via any computer (like electronic banking). Fares can also be purchased and loaded on cards at the Calgary Transit Customer Service Centre & City Hall Cashiers.
Disposable Cards
- Are not reloadable
- Are available at all Calgary Transit sales outlets.
- Are available as Monthly passes.
- Cannot be registered for Lost Card protection, negative balance protection or other benefits.
E-Stickers
- Stickers affix to other identification cards
- Same functionality as reloadable cards
- Upass (accounts administered by schools)
 How the CONNECT Card Works:
 Customer simply tap their card on a bus or CTrain platform reader to deduct fare from the card balance or to recognize a valid monthly pass.
 Readers will beep and show a green light with successful transactions.
Readers will not beep and will show a red light if the transaction is not successful
 Readers will display the remaining balance on your card
- Monthly pass holders do not need to tap at CTrain stations.
- Valid fares are confirmed by bus readers or PSE officer hand held readers.
Cost of Fare Media:
| Fare Media Type | Cost to Customer |
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Disposable Monthly Passes (Current Rate) | $94.00 (Adult) | |
Reloadable cards (Then purchase fare) | $ 2.00 | |
E-stickers for participating Upass schools | N/A |
Future Applications
- Regional transit travel – Airdrie, Cochrane etc. - one fare card
- Addition of other fare products such as yearly and weekly passes.
- Create partnerships with other City services such as Recreation for other purchases. (e.g. Swimming)
- Other applications and partnerships can be developed once CONNECT is well established
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