B.C. Transit will stop selling paper tickets and monthly passes in Greater Victoria as of Oct. 1, as the transit system transitions to electronic payment.
Cash and B.C. bus passes for low-income seniors and those on disability assistance will continue to be accepted as payment. Paper tickets and monthly passes will be accepted until they’ve been used up.
The electronic system offers a 30-day pass, which provides the same benefits as a monthly pass but can be started on any day of the month. A 30-day pass kicks in on the day of its first use.
B.C. Transit launched Umo, an electronic payment method, in August 2023 in the Victoria regional transit system, before expanding it across the province, the transit agency said in a statement.
Riders using the Umo app hold a QR code on their cellphones up to a screen that scans it as they board the bus.
They can also use a Umo card that they tap on the bus. Cards must be loaded with a minimum of $5.
Umo will automatically cap payments at the price of a day pass, so users will never pay more than the value of a day pass.
Cash balances and 30-day passes can be loaded in the Umo app online at ca.umopass.com, at a B.C. Transit Umo retail vendor location, or through Umo customer service toll-free at 877-380-8181.
For social agencies that often hand out single bus tickets, a Umo day-pass token is available.
Riders who use handyDART buses will still be able to buy sheets of 10 single-ride tickets, adult monthly passes and student/senior monthly passes.
Riders who have not yet moved to Umo payment can visit bctransit.com/umo for an introduction to the payment method.
Fares haven’t changed in Greater Victoria since 2010, but B.C. Transit announced last October that it was considering raising single-trip fares from $2.50 to $2.75 or $3 per trip by 2025, and increasing the general price of transit fares to offset increasing costs.
Nanaimo’s transit system plans to end paper-ticket sales as of Dec. 1
B.C. Transit says it will eventually enable onboard payments with debit and credit cards across the province.
