Thunder Bay Transit officially launches new electronic fare cards

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Thunder Bay Transit passengers tin present wage for their fares with a elemental tap.

The bureau officially launched its Lift Pass physics fare cards connected Monday, pursuing a brushed motorboat astir a period ago.

The cards are reloadable, and let passengers to wage for rides by tapping the cards connected the caller electonic fare boxes recovered connected metropolis transit and Lift+ buses.

"Customers tin present get the reloadable paper from metropolis hall, successful summation to the transit bureau (at 570 Fort William Road)," said Laura Daniels, supervisor of lawsuit work attraction and administrative services with Thunder Bay Transit. "Coming connected April 15, hey volition besides beryllium capable to acquisition big cards ... from prime retailers, and they'll beryllium capable to reload existing cards astatine those those prime retailers."

A database of retailers volition beryllium made disposable person to April 15, Daniels said.

In the meantime, cards tin beryllium reloaded online, astatine metropolis hall, and the transit office, the metropolis said.

Daniels said passengers are encouraged to get their Lift Pass cards arsenic aboriginal arsenic possible: the cards are presently free, but volition outgo $5 aft April 30.

The transit bureau volition beryllium unfastened extended hours during the period of April to marque getting the cards arsenic convenient arsenic possible: it volition enactment unfastened until 6:30 p.m. connected Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and unfastened from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. connected Saturdays, excluding Easter Weekend, the metropolis said.

The cards themselves, meanwhile, volition beryllium disposable astatine metropolis hallway during regular operating hours until April 15; passengers volition lone beryllium capable to reload their cards astatine metropolis hallway aft that.

Daniels said the brushed launch, which saw a constricted fig of riders fixed the cards, was successful.

"We've had online payments coming in, truthful we tin archer that radical are choosing to reload it online," she said. "And we've seen determination are radical who are going with the auto-reload enactment arsenic well."

Cash volition inactive beryllium accepted connected Thunder Bay Transit buses. Paper passes volition proceed to beryllium accepted until July 31, aft which they tin beryllium exchanged astatine the transit bureau for rides connected a Lift Pass card.

For much information, oregon to reload a card, visit the city's Lift Pass website.