Paper tickets and monthly transit passes will no longer be sold after Nov. 9 as Edmonton Transit Service moves into the final stage of implementation of Arc, the regional electronic payment system.
The move marks “the next milestone” in the transition to Arc, the City of Edmonton said in a public service announcement Thursday.
Products no longer available after Nov. 9 include:
- 10-ticket packs (adult and youth/senior).
- Family/day passes.
- Monthly paper transit passes (adult, youth/student, senior, Ride Transit and Edmonton International Airport).
Tickets with an expiry date of Dec. 31, 2023, and family/day passes with an expiration date of 2024, will continue to be accepted as valid fare on ETS until Dec. 31, 2025.
Cash fare and paper transfers will continue to be accepted as valid fare, the city said.
The November 2024 transit pass will be the last paper monthly pass sold to riders. Transit users who use monthly passes must switch to Arc starting Dec. 1.
The city began rolling out the Arc system in November 2022. Users can tap on and off buses and LRT without needing to carry exact change or paper tickets and passes.
Riders can add money to their Arc cards online, by phone, at transit facilities or at participating retailers.
The system has fare caps, so that once riders reach the ETS daily or monthly maximum amount, they can use transit for the rest of the day or month without charge.
As part of the transition to Arc, ETS is offering drop-in sessions from late October to early December at some recreation centres and the Edmonton Service Centre.
People who attend will get in-person support to set up their Arc accounts. Visit edmonton.ca/ETSnews for dates and times.
Next up: pay with phone or credit card
The final phase of Arc implementation 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.
ETS expects to introduce open payment in 2025.
More information about the Arc system is available here.
Edmonton’s Arc partners include Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Spruce Grove, Strathcona County and St. Albert.