REGINA — Transit riders in Regina can soon pay for fares by tapping their debit or credit cards as well as by using Apple Pay and Google Pay.
The new payment option is coming in March, which the manager of Regina Transit administration, Krista Forsythe, said is a great opportunity for riders.
“It provides them with [another] very convenient and easy way to pay for bus fare.”
Based on feedback, Forsythe said riders wanted the new payment options available.
Other cities in Canada, including Toronto and Vancouver, have utilized tap payment options on their transit system for years.
Forsythe said it took Regina longer based on the technology available.
“In August of 2024, we implemented our new fare payment system, Umo. Once we had that technology under our belt, then we could expand other ways to pay to be utilized by our customers.”
The Umo app allows transit users to pay through the app when boarding a bus. Transit users can also purchase a Umo fare card.
Since it was introduced, Forsythe said around 70 per cent of transit users utilize Umo.
With new payment options, the city is advising Umo users that credit card information saved in Umo accounts will be removed on Feb. 9 due to a system update.
“They’ll just have to re-enter and re-save those payment details into their account,” noted Forsythe.
Before launching the new payment system, the city has done internal testing.
Forsythe also said the city has spoken with BC Transit on the lessons they’ve learned with Umo, and to ensure the implementation is successful.
Once in place, the new payment options will include fare capping, provided customers use the same payment method for their trips.
“If you take three trips within the day, then the system will cap you at those three trips, and the remaining trips would be free for that day,” said Forsythe.
Regina Transit also has a monthly rider cap of 31 trips, meaning users would get free transit once surpassing the amount each month.
