Ottawa transit riders have a new way to pay fares at Rideau Station — and will eventually throughout the city’s transit network — through a new pilot to enable contactless payment.
OC Transpo has installed contactless technology at one fare gate on the west end of the Rideau light-rail transit station, the transit agency announced Tuesday.
The new tech will allow users to pay for one adult, single-ride fare by tapping their credit card, smartphone or smartwatch equipped with a mobile wallet such as Google Pay or Apple Pay. Previously, the only way to tap for payments was with a Presto card, a transit-specific application managed by Metrolinx.
The contactless payment solution is a limited pilot with Scheidt & Bachmann, a fare and parking service provider headquartered in Germany.
While the technology is currently limited to the sole gate at Rideau Station, OC Transpo says the payment option will be expanded to all other light-rail stations in the city and every bus later this year.
OC Transpo said in a statement that the new contactless service has been fast-tracked to reduce touch points int he city’s transit system amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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