Edmontonians won’t be able to purchase paper bus passes and tickets to use on Edmonton Transit (ETS) anymore, as the service is phasing out the products in the coming weeks.
Starting November 9, ETS will discontinue selling traditional paper fare products, and is in the final stage of implementing Arc, the new electronic fare payment system for all rider groups.
Ten-ticket packs (Adult and Youth/Senior), family/day passes, and monthly paper transit passes (Adult, Youth/Student, Senior, Ride Transit and Edmonton International Airport) will no longer be available for purchase.
ETS said that it will continue to accept pre-purchased tickets with an expiry date of December 31, 2023, and Family/Day passes with an expiration date of 2024 as valid fare on ETS until the end of 2025. ETS will continue to accept cash fare and paper transfers as valid fare on an ongoing basis.
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Riders who purchase ETS monthly passes must switch to Arc starting December 1, as November 2024 monthly transit pass will be the last ETS paper monthly pass sold to riders.
ETS is offering drop-in sessions from late October to early December at select City of Edmonton recreation centres and the Edmonton Service Centre, to support riders through this transition. At these sessions, riders will receive in-person support in setting up their Arc accounts.
The final phase of Arc will be the open payment system, which will allow riders to tap on and off transit using their mobile phones, and credit or debit cards. This system is expected to roll out in 2025.
With Arc, riders can:
- Tap on and off buses and LRT without needing to carry exact change or paper tickets and passes.
- Sign up, check their balance and add money to their Arc accounts anytime, anywhere, including online, by phone, at transit facilities or at participating Arc retailers.
- Load as little as $4 – or as much as they need – to their Arc accounts using credit, debit or cash.
- Avoid paying upfront for a monthly pass. Fare caps ensure that once riders reach the ETS daily or monthly maximum amount, they can use ETS for the rest of the day or month for free, respectively.