Calgary Transit to install ticket validators on CTrain platforms

    May 13, 2025
    Riders will be required to validate their electronic tickets through the My Fare or Transit apps before boarding the CTrain.
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    Calgary Transit
    people wait to board a CTrain on a platform
    Calgary Transit will complete installing the new fare validators by the end of June 2025.

    Calgary Transit plans to install ticket validator machines on CTrain platforms throughout its system starting in late May. Once installation is complete, electronic tickets through the My Fare and Transit apps will need to be validated on platforms before boarding the CTrain. Calgary Transit anticipates this new process to increase the proper use of electronic tickets. 

    Installation is expected to be complete in late June, and validators won’t be active until after the Calgary Stampede. The My Fare app will then be updated to require tickets to be activated by a customer and then validated using platform or bus validators. Like paper tickets, customers riding without validated proof of fare could face a fine. 

    When using electronic tickets, riders will be required to tap the activate ticket button on the ticket or pass and then scan it with a platform validator, which will convert the ticket to valid proof of fare. The process will depend on the fare type used. 

    Single ride tickets and day passes will need to be activated by tapping the activate ticket button on the ticket and then scanned by a platform validator before boarding a train. Once it has been validated, it can be used until it expires. A single-ride ticket can be used for 90 minutes after validation; a day pass can be used until the end of service that day. 

    All other passes will also need to be activated by tapping the activate ticket button and then validated at a platform or bus. These passes will only have to be validated for the first trip. Riders will continue to scan their My Fare ticket or pass every time they board a bus to show proof of fare to the operator. 

    For customers transferring between buses and/or trains, tickets will be valid as soon as they’re scanned on a bus or platform validator. Riders transferring from between bus and rail service won’t have to validate their tickets again before boarding. 

    Calgary Transit says the new process of using platform validators will help ensure everyone who rides uses a valid proof of fare, helping keep operating costs balanced.