Using the Fare Boxes

The fare boxes have a screen showing important information such as the fare due, and allow you to select a day pass or transfer. Note: The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced that all public transit buses will be fare-free across Connecticut until December 1, 2022. A previous policy signed by Governor Lamont made buses fare free from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022, but that was extended in the recent budget passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor on May 9, 2022. Free services include all CTtransit local buses statewide, CTtransit Express and CTfastrak services. ADA Paratransit is also fare free statewide until December 1, 2022.

Important: this is not a touch-screen, please use the buttons for selections. A green arrow indicates the ticket slot, pass reader, and currency acceptors are ready for fare payment.

Basic Functions

  • You must select the purchase of an All-Day (regular fare, youth fare or senior/disabled fare) pass before inserting any money. The fare boxes have a button you can use to select the purchase of a regular fare All-Day pass: press that button then pay the fare for the pass. When purchasing a youth fare or Sr/Disabled reduced fare all-day pass on board the bus, please request this from the Operator before payment. Each All-Day pass purchased on board must be a separate transaction, and requires exact change.
  • Two-hour Passes (Transfers) are issued at the time of payment on boarding. The fare boxes have a button you can use to select a two-hour pass: press that button then pay the fare. You may also continue to ask the Operator for the two-hour pass—which ever way you make the request, please do it when you pay your fare!
  • If you need to activate any pass for the first time you use it, or if you use 10-ride tickets, insert the pass or ticket in the ticket slot (magnetic stripe facing you and to the right).
  • To speed your boarding and payment, activated passes may be swiped on top of the new fare box. Swipe either direction, with the magnetic stripe down and facing you.
  • If you are using a ticket printed by either a fare box or Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) at a CTfastrak station as your transfer to a CTtransit bus, scan the QR code on the red light.
  • Fare boxes on board CTtransit local, express, and CTfastrak buses issue Two-Hour passes (transfers) and All-Day passes using bar-code reading technology rather than magnetically encoded stripe technology. The bar code is printed on the front of the pass. Scan the bar code on the window with the red light on the fare box—a tone will sound indicating acceptance.

  • Express Two-Hour passes (transfers) retain the full value of the original zone fare paid, providing unlimited local and express rides for the number of zones paid. Travel on a route that charges a higher zone fare would require additional payment. 

  • Customers using Senior/Disabled reduced fare tickets or passes must still show a Medicare card or state-issued photo ID.
  • Bus Operators and fare boxes do not make change. Fare boxes will only accept one ticket or pass per passenger, per transaction.

Other Features

You will also notice the orange “target” on the fare box. This is for the Go CT Card. The Go CT Card provides the same discounts you’d receive with a pass, but the card and funds on it never expire. That gives you the flexibility of cash and coins and the benefits of a multi-day pass without having to worry about rides going unused.