Atransit pass (North American English) ortravel card (British English), often referred to as abus pass ortrain pass etc. (in all English dialects),[1][2] is aticket that allows a passenger of the service to take either a certain number of pre-purchased trips or unlimited trips within a fixed period of time.
Depending on the transport network and on how much the pass is used, the pass may offer varying discounts compared with trips that are purchased individually. While transit passes can generally be purchased at full price by anyone wishing to use the services (senior citizens,tourists, thedisabled,students and some others are often able to get them at a reduced price) manyemployers,colleges, anduniversities will subsidize the cost of them, or sometimes the full amount.
Somepublic transport networks will allow certain types of personnel, includingpolice officers,fire fighters, active military, and their own employees to ride their services free with proper identification and without the need to purchase a pass. In a lot of cases, the identification can be scanned on the ticket validator like any other transit pass.
Some common forms of transit passes are:
With theOctopussmartcard many transport operators, including bus, minibus and railway companies provide free transfers or discounts on the second leg of the journey. Also, the major bus companies, as well asMTR, the railway operator, offer a discounted flat fare for senior citizens on certain days of the week, at HK$1 and HK$2 respectively.
In Austria, theKlimaticket (lit. 'Climate Ticket') allows travelling on mosttrains and local public transport. It was introduced in 2021. At the regional level, the365-Euro-Ticket permits the use of public transport.
A "semester ticket" is a student transit pass issued by universities andFachhochschulen inGermany allowing students to travel on the buses, trams, subways, and local trains of the school's home city.[3][4] The cost of the semester ticket is included in the university's student fees,[4] and it can be used in thestate where the university is situated. The ticket is valid for transit on the subway (U-Bahn), suburban trains (S-Bahn), street trams, and buses in that state, but is not valid onIntercity-Express trains.[3]
InVilnius,Lithuania, a travel card is used for the public transport.
InDenmark there is a universal travelcard called "rejsekort" which is valid all trains, buses and light rail in the country, as well as theØresundståg toMalmö.
Travel card systems are used in most of the local public transport inNorway. In the counties ofOslo andAkershus,reisekort (meaning simply "travel card", formerlyFlexus) is used for theT-bane (Metro),tramway and theMunicipal bus system. InSør-Trøndelag,t:kort (meaning "t:card") is used. InRogaland,Kolumbuskort (meaning "Kolumbus card") is used. InHordaland,Skysskortet (meaning "Skyss card") is used. In addition, several other counties use similar travel card systems.
A prepaidTFI Leap Card is available for transport in the greater Dublin area, providing access to LUAS, DART and Dublin Bus services. The card may be topped up online.
Prepaid transit passes are moving toward electronic plastic-based or paper-based contactless cards.
Early cards are plastic based and limited only for underground railway trips. For surface transportation they have unlimited trips within a fixed period of time. A passenger has to pay a security deposit of 30 roubles for the card itself. When the pass expires, passenger can recharge it with the same or another type of fare or return the card and get the security deposit back. The card itself expires 90 days after not being recharged. In this case, the security deposit cannot be returned.
In 2010 appeared the first non-rechargeable disposable paper-based electronic transit passes for a certain number of trips on trams, trolleybuses and buses. They are sold with a protective foil sticker, which should be removed prior to first use. They are not time-limited except that they expire 30 days after the countrywide or citywide fare changes, which happens usually each 1–2 years.
In 2011 the "Podorozhnik" ("Plantago") cards came to the stage. Their difference from earlyplastic cards is that they have a conventional area where a fare for specific amount of time (15 days, one month) could be written (the unit is a single ride) and an "electronic wallet" which could be charged with any amount of roubles (the unit is Rouble) with an ability to get a discount - the more rides the cheaper a single ride is. Electronic wallet gets unlocked when a fixed period fare expires. Also they have bigger expiration period after not being recharged (3 years).
InSpain a travel card calledcreditrans is used in the city ofBilbao.
InStockholm,Sweden a travel card is used for themunicipal railway systems.
Public transport in Switzerland is organized intariff networks, with corresponding passes for use ofrail, bus, most boats and some cable cars within the fare network. Travel around the country by public transport is facilitated with theGeneralabonnement (GA)[5] andHalbtax[6] for residents and theSwiss Travel Pass[7] for tourists.
In theUnited Kingdom anyone resident in England over the "age of eligibility" and people with certain disabilities travel free on most publicbuses throughout the country at certain times (typically between 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends andBank Holidays) through theEnglish National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Some councils also allow these people to travel free ontrains,trams orferries within their local areas, and/or at other times of the day, and may additionally offer local free travel at a lower age. Similar schemes were introduced inWales in 2002, inScotland in April 2006, and later inEngland.Northern Ireland runs a similar scheme but the age limit is 66.
The "age of eligibility" was 60 until 6 June 2010, but increased over ten years to 65, in line with parallel changes to women's eligibility for state old age pension.
Travel card schemes for general public use are currently operated in the United Kingdom in a number of areas including:
Travel card schemes are often supplemented or replaced bystored value cards.
Unlimited Ride passes allow travel on allCTA buses and trains with a 1-Day Fun Pass, or 3-day, 7-day or 30-day unlimited-ride passes. The pass, viaVentra, activates the first time the rider uses it and is good for the number of consecutive days shown on the front of the pass.1-Day ($10), 3-Day ($20), 7-Day ($33) and 30-Day ($100).[14]Metra also offers monthly unlimited ride passes that vary in price depending on fare zones, as well as a weekend pass via Ventra that offers unlimited rides through all zones at a flat $10.[15]
Greyhound Lines: As from September 30, 2012, the Discovery Pass is no longer available for purchase. The company is thought to feel that 'board-anytime go-anywhere' passes complicate their new business model of "guaranteed reserved seats".
InMartha's Vineyard it is rare to offer anannual pass in addition to passes valid for one, three, seven, or thirty-one days. The cost of an annual pass is $100 for adults and $50 for students. All other types of passes are available at adult prices only.[16]
OnNORTA, both transfers and day passes are available. A transfer may be purchased for 25¢ in addition to the $1.25 base fare (seniors & disabled get it for free although they pay just the $0.40 fare). Day passes can be purchased for $3 when boarding any bus orstreetcar. Additionally, passes valid for a 3-day period can be purchased for $9, or for 31 days for $55, at a limited number of locations.[17]
OnNew York City Transit, a one-way fare is currently $2.90 per trip, and allows freetransfers between buses and subway. Weekly passes are $34, and monthly passes are $132.
In thePortland, Oregon area there are multipleTriMet day pass options. Prices range from $2–$5 for anywhere all day with as many transfers as one wants. There are also 7, 14, and 30-day passes (which range from roughly $7–$100). There are student discounts and "honored citizen" AKA 65+ discount as well.
CityPASS Muni and Cable Car 7-day Passport tickets include unlimited transportation on Muni for seven consecutive days beginning day of first CityPASS use.
Sound Transit,Everett Transit,Community Transit,King County Metro,Pierce Transit andKitsap Transit offer free transfers via theORCA Card only, and these transfers are good for two hours after the user taps the card against the reader. When using ORCA, users get full credit for the fare paid on the original trip on any trip on any of the mentioned systems. Kitsap Transit, King County Metro and Pierce Transit also issue paper transfers. These transfers are valid only on the system which issued them. Commuter rail and light rail tickets are valid for one trip only, and no free paper transfers to or from rail are issued or accepted. The agency also issues universal passes, which can be loaded onto the user's ORCA card. Also, ORCA also provides services to organizations wishing to purchase transit services on behalf of their employees or students.
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While fares for individual trips vary, theWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority offers various passes for ridingMetrobus andMetrorail. Unlimited passes are applicable forMetrorail andMetrobus service. A seven-day pass for unlimited rides is $60.75, and a "short-trip" (up to $4.50 for Metrorail or $2.50 for Metrobus Express Routes) is $40.50. A one-day unlimited pass is available for $13.50. A 7 dayMetrobus pass is available for $13.50 at regular fare (up to $2.25) for several bus services, but it cannot be used on Metrorail.
Riders ofMetrorail andMetrobus can transfer between the two services using aSmarTrip card for free within a two hour period, excluding express routes. Those transferring between any twoMetrorail lines can change trains without exiting the faregate, thereby incurring no additional fare or requiring a transfer slip.[18]
Transfers are honored both ways between Metrobus andMontgomery County'sRide-on bus service. Ride-on accepts transfers from Metrorail for an additional 35¢ (waived for senior citizens), but there are no transfers from Ride-on buses to Metrorail.
Transit Link cards exist forMARC,VRE, andMTA Commuter Buses. They also provide unlimitedMetrorail andMetrobus rides, though additional fare may be charged for express buses. Its cost is based off of fare zones.[18]
For $102 more than the price of aMARC train monthly ticket, a Transit Link Card granting unlimited Metrorail and Metrobus trips for the month of the MARC ticket can be purchased. MARC monthly passes are also honored as fare payment for allMaryland Transit Administration bus,Metro andLight Rail services in theBaltimore area at no extra cost.
The Maryland Transit Administration within the Baltimore area generally charges $1.70 for a single trip on one local bus or train. The agency abolished transfers in 1996 in favor of day passes, which at the time were $3.00 and are currently $4.00. Those taking multi-bus/train trips are encouraged to purchase day passes, which at regular fare, are the cost of two one-way trips plus 30¢. Weekly and monthly passes are also available, and all such passes since 2005 have been called "GO-passes." The only transfers that are allowed in the system without additional fare payment are between the various lines of the light rail.
TheToronto Transit Commission offers free 2-hour transfers with all base fares. Transfers may be used only on lines connecting to the one from which the transfer was obtained. Also, passengers can pay with aPresto card which may offer a discount in fare.[19]
TransLink offers several types of fare cards priced by the number of zones the user will be in. As of January 2024, monthly passes are priced at approximately $105 for 1 Zone, $140 for 2 Zones, and $190 for three zones. Concession passes are also available to youth, seniors, and HandyCard holders. A single fare is valid for 90 minutes on bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus, and HandyDART.[20]
In 2013, TransLink started the transition toCompass card, which provides similar benefits in a reusable, stored value card.
With the purchase of any single fare,Winnipeg Transit offers free transfers that are valid for 75 minutes from the time of issuance and can be used on any regular bus route for travel in any direction, including return trips. The agency also offers 24-hour, 5-day, 7-day, 28-day, and monthly paper passes are sold at select partner stores, and these same passes are also available on thePeggo card system.[21]
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