RIPTA To Phase Out Paper Passes In January

PROVIDENCE, RI — Starting next year, the Rhode Island Public Transit authority will phase out paper fare products, including monthly, daily, seven-day or 10-ride passes. The new policy will go into effect Jan. 15.

Anyone with a valid paper pass, regardless of how old it is, can exchange it for free for the new, smart-fare collection system, Wave. The system was launched in September, and allows riders to pay for bus fare using an app or a reloadable smart card. To date, about 40,000 riders use the WAVE system, according to RIPTA.

After Jan. 15, buses will no longer issues transfers. All trips will be exact change only, meaning that cash payments will be accepted, but no change will be given. Under the Wave system, the base fare of $2 allows one hour of unlimited travel on all RIPTA routes, allowing for transfers during that window.

Greg Nordin, RIPTA's chief of strategic development, said the changes were "some of the final changes as we move RIPTA to a 21st century fare collection system which has so many conveniences and benefits for our customers."

"With our Wave system, our passengers can purchase just what they need, when they need it, and board our buses in a safe and contactless manner, using their Wave card or the mobile app," Nordin continued.

According to Nordin, the machines that print transfers and change cards on buses are aging, leading to breakdowns and route delays.

"Eliminating the need to print transfers and change cards will help our system run more efficiently," Nordin said. "And again, the ease and flexibility of Wave will help make it easy for passengers to transition to exact change without the need for paper transfers."

To convert an old paper pass to the Wave system, create and account, fill out a form and mail it to RIPTA with the paper pass. RIPTA will then transfer the amount to the new Wave account. Read more on RIPTA's website.

"We are excited about these latest changes and we appreciate the cooperation of our customers," said Scott Avedisian, RIPTA’s CEO. "I think people will quickly see the benefits of the new streamlined system and know that we are offering our passengers the best industry technology to make transit use in Rhode Island as easy as possible."