Pay Your Way - VIA Metropolitan Transit

New fareboxes are coming soon with more convenient options so you can pay your way, whether you choose contactless credit card, mobile wallet, goCard, goCard lite, the goMobile+ app, or cash.

Benefits of the New System

New and modern fare boxes will replace current fare boxes to speed up boardings, provide more options for customers and reduce delays.

Credit Cards

You will now be able to use a contactless credit/debit card right on the bus. Same fare, no added fees. Just tap and go. VIA will accept contactless Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. American Express will not be accepted.

Change Receipts

If you pay cash for a single ride or Day Pass on the bus and overpay by more than $1, a change receipt will printed from the farebox. You can bring that receipt to a Customer Service Center within a year for a credit on a goCard lite.

Mobile Wallet

Use your Apple, Google or Samsung mobile wallet when boarding and inform the operator if you qualify for a discount, otherwise a full fare will be charged. Day Passes can not be purchased on the bus using a credit card or mobile wallet.

goMobile & goCard

Many customers pay for rides with the goMobile+ app, the Transit app, or a goCard. Those options are still available without any changes. So, whatever your preference, if it’s in your wallet, we likely accept it.

Transfer & Day Passes

If you are paying your fare on the bus and would like either a Day Pass or free 2.5-hour transfer, you will be given a paper ticket with a unique barcode. That barcode can then be scanned as payment on your next bus.

Same Low Fares

VIA’s same great discounts will be available with this upgraded system. Before tapping or scanning your form of payment, please let the operator know if you qualify for a discount and show your VIA Reduced Fare ID.

Transition Period

Installation of the new fare boxes on all VIA buses will begin in mid-October and completion is expected to take 4-6 weeks. Once the new pay system is installed on ALL buses, riders will be able to pay using credit/debit card or mobile wallet.

Know Before You Go

If you board a bus with the new technology but have an e-fare card, simply show it to the Operator.

If you have a goCard lite and board a bus that hasn’t been upgraded with our new fare box, present the card to the Operator.

If you have a goCard lite, and board a bus that has been updated with VIA’s new fare box, just tap and go.

Riders can exchange any unvalidated e-fare card for a new goCard Lite card at any Customer Service ticket window beginning late October.

Using the New Fare Box

New goCard lite
replaces e-fare card

We are replacing the pre-loaded magnetic stripe e-fare cards with upgraded pre-loaded goCard lite smartcards. Instead of dipping an e-fare card to activate it, you will tap the goCard lite on the new farebox. The value remaining on the card, or the expiration will be displayed on the farebox screen. The goCard lite cards are not reloadable.

Beginning in late 2024, customers will be able to purchase goCard lite passes — preloaded with a 31-Day Pass, 7-Day Pass or Day Pass — at many local retailers, including most H-E-B stores. The term starts the first time they are tapped on the bus.

COMING SOON

Your goCard
and goMobile+ app
work the same

Riders who pay using their reloadable goCard or the goMobile+ app will continue to use those as before. Simply tap your goCard on the same reader or show the operator your goMobile ticket when boarding. Learn more about VIA’s goCard and the goMobile+ app.