COTA introduces tap to pay fare collection that retains fare capping and free transfers
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) launched tap to pay, allowing riders to pay their fare by tapping a credit card, debit card or their digital wallet from a phone or smartwatch. Tap to pay provides an additional fare payment option, removing the need to pre-plan payments. The agency notes the new tech can also speed up the boarding process to make travel more efficient. Further, tap to pay ensures the best fare rate through fare capping, so riders pay no more than $4.50 per day or $62 per calendar month to travel on COTA.
“As we continue to grow and expand transit service across the region, COTA must make it as easy and convenient to ride as possible, and tap to pay helps us deliver a smarter, more connected transit system,” said COTA President and CEO Monica Téllez-Fowler. “We know that transit is at the heart of economic mobility and getting the most from everything we have in Central Ohio. Tap to pay removes barriers to using transit, especially for new or occasional riders, helping all of our residents have access to food, jobs, healthcare and entertainment.”
“Tap to pay reflects COTA’s commitment to using technology to improve the customer experience while modernizing how our system operates,” said COTA Chief Innovation Technology Officer Sophia Mohr. “Our team has worked to integrate this technology so customers can board quickly, receive the best possible fare through fare capping and travel with confidence using the payment tools they already carry with them every day.”
To maintain benefits like fare capping and two-hour free transfers, riders must use the same card for each fare payment when boarding a COTA bus. Only one ride per payment method can be facilitated at once.
Part of the driving force behind the change was a recent COTA Fixed-Route Customer Satisfaction Survey that found that 93% of COTA customers already have a credit, debit or other payment card with them when boarding a COTA bus.
Customers can also still use all existing payment methods and COTA accounts, including the Transit app, smartcards, ULTRA Light Card passes, cash and others. Additionally, customers enrolled in COTA’s reduced fare program can visit the COTA customer experience center to link their payment method to their digital COTA account to receive that benefit.