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Tap-to-ride payment launches on Hillsborough, Pinellas and Hernando transit

Riders can use credit and debit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay, as well as the Flamingo Fares smartcard or mobile app.
 
An all-electric bus is seen in front of St. Petersburg City Hall.
An all-electric bus is seen in front of St. Petersburg City Hall.
Published Feb. 16, 2023|Updated Feb. 16, 2023

Riders can now tap their smartphones, credit and debit cards to pay bus fares in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Hernando, the agencies announced Wednesday, marking the first-of-its-kind contactless payments system in the state.

It’s a technological milestone for the region’s transit systems, giving customers another way to pay in addition to existing methods of the Flamingo Fares smartcard or mobile app.

“Contactless payments will make navigating our region much simpler not only for our existing riders, but for the tens of thousands of tourists who visit all that Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region has to offer,” Brad Miller, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority chief executive officer, said in a statement. Riders will still be able to pay with cash, an agency spokesperson said.

“We are excited to offer our customers another way to pay their fare,” Hillsborough transit chief executive Adelee Le Grand said in a statement. Expanded contactless payment options could speed up the boarding process, improve travel times and remove “another barrier from riding transit,” she added.

The existing Flamingo Fares system offers reloadable smart cards in the form of both plastic cards or a card-free app and launched in the region in 2020. The system has fare-capping implemented, automatically capping prices whenever riders reach the daily or monthly thresholds to save money.

Riders using newly launched contactless payment methods via debit, credit, Google Pay or Apple Pay will also be able to take advantage of $5 dollar daily fare capping.