Denver RTD adds option to pay for stored value on MyRide platform with cash
The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) is giving riders the option to pay for stored value on the agency’s MyRide platform to make electronic fare payments from their MyRideaccount or physical MyRide card via cash payments. Powered by technology from VanillaDirect, the new payment option is designed to increase accessibility for passengers to load stored value by paying cash at Denver RTD sales outlets and participating retailers, including 7-Eleven, CVS, King Soopers and Walgreens throughout the Denver area. Passengers can use the stored cash value for fare payments by tapping or scanning their MyRide card or mobile barcode on any Denver RTD fare validator. Tickets can also be purchased with the stored value in the MyRide app or online.
Denver RTD added the ability to make cash payments for stored value on the MyRide platform to increase accessibility for customers without a bank card, or who prefer to pay with cash and to increase access to its fare capping program. The agency noted that cash payments that are digitized into stored value reduce the reliance on physical tickets, increase the speed of boarding and enhance vehicle security by decreasing onboard cash handling.
Obtaining new MyRide cards for VanillaDirect
Riders who use a MyRide card rather than the MyRide app can load value to their card at a Denver RTD sales outlet and request a VanillaDirect MyRide card, an upgraded card that includes a VanillaDirect barcode enabling cash loading at participating retailers throughout the region. The upgraded VanillaDirect cards can also be ordered through Denver RTD’s online store.
Passengers can elect to register their VanillaDirect MyRide card online or in the MyRide app to receive balance protection in case the card is lost or stolen, be able to track purchases and travel, manage funds and discounts either online or in the MyRide app. Customers who continue to load stored value with cash at the RTD sales outlets can continue to use their current MyRide card without upgrading if they so choose.
MyRide app
Passengers who use the MyRide app instead of a card can scan the MyRide QR code on a validator to ride Denver RTD rail and bus services, manage their balance, view their trip history or purchase mobile tickets or monthly passes from one app. The new pay with cash barcode in the MyRide app enables customers to load stored value into the app with cash at participating VanillaDirect retailers.
Fare collection modernization
This digitized cash offering for the MyRide platform from VanillaDirect is the newest way Denver RTD is modernizing its fare collection. On Nov. 25, Denver RTD launched the Tap-n-Ride payment option that gives riders a way to pay fare using a Visa or Mastercard bank card or mobile wallet at any fare validator.
Accessibility review
RTD analyzed feedback from a 2024 Onboard Survey, finding that a small percentage of respondents – 6% to 8% – did not have a bank card. The most popular fare choices among these individuals were 3-hour passes and day passes purchased with cash on board a bus, showing the agency the continued reliance on cash purchases for a percentage of its riders. Of the remaining respondents without a card to make purchases, about 3% to 5% are exempt from paying a fare, such as Zero Fare for Youth program participants, or are part of a Denver RTD pass program where customers use their smartphone or a MyRide card provided to them.