[ad_1]
(TNS) – The Central Ohio Transit Authority’s new digital fare system begins Monday, with fares capped at $ 4.50 per day or $ 62 per month, fares of $ 2 valid for two hours, and 350 retail outlets where passengers can add money to their accounts.
Passengers will be able to use a smartphone app or a smart card issued by COTA to charge money for fares.
COTA said many runners end up paying over $ 62 a month when they pay cash daily. Many bikers don’t have the money to pay $ 62 upfront for a monthly pass. This system tracks what they spend through a smart card or app and limits the amount they pay per month.
“People can still use the money if they want to,” COTA spokesman Jeff Pullin said.
Pulin acknowledged that it might take some time to educate runners on the new system. He said there had already been a gradual rollout with the app.
âThere is a learning curve on the retail side. We know it will take some time to get them on board,â he said.
COTA was able to add retailers that were already on two networks – VIDAPAY and VanillaDirect – so that cash-only COTA passengers could load their money on the Transit app or the COTA smart card.
COTA runner Quan Snow, who lives in the King-Lincoln-Bronzeville neighborhood on the city’s Near East Side, said he already owns the app. Snow, 31, who was waiting for a bus on North High Street near Broad Street Downtown on Monday, said he was using COTA to get to work at a Southeast Side bookstore.
âI don’t think that’s a bad idea,â Snow said of the price cap for the new digital system.
But Michel Norris, who was waiting in a bus shelter on South High Street near the Statehouse, said he didn’t know how to use computers and wanted to continue paying in cash.
âThis is something I cannot understand,â said Norris, 60, who said he was homeless. “I’m very smart. But when it comes to certain things, I just can’t do it.”
Josh Lapp, who chairs Transit Columbus, a transit advocacy group, said he supports the price cap. âIt’s a concern for me with the current system,â Lapp said.
But Lapp has said he wants COTA to make sure passengers can maintain access to buses as COTA moves away from cash fares. “I think they address those concerns,” he said.
âIn the long term, we would like to see more infrastructure installed at major stops so people can load fare cards there,â Lapp said.
Pullin said COTA will ultimately end paper passes, although no timeline has been set for it.
COTA Board of Directors approved the changes in September. It also agreed to reduce fares on express routes during peak commuter hours from $ 2.75 to the standard fare of $ 2 for consistency.
Passengers can download the Transit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Once they have done so, they can open the Transit app and hit the âBuyâ button, then follow the instructions to create an account and a payment method. The app will generate a QR code that passengers can scan on buses.
Pullin said COTA employees and some runners tested the new system.
Cyclists without smartphones can get smart cards at the COTA Customer Experience Center, 33 N. High St.
If a passenger opens a new account between November 1 and December 31, COTA will credit $ 4.50 within two business days.
COTA also hosts events where passengers can also learn how to use COTA’s fare system and create an account. The first is scheduled at the COTA Customer Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 1.
For more information, visit https://cota.com/transitapp/.
© 2021 www.dispatch.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
[ad_2]