Winnipeg, MB - Effective February 1, 2013, Winnipeg Transit will no longer accept pennies or bills on its buses. The new policy goes into effect as the Department begins the first phase of a comprehensive fare collection system replacement project.
In the coming weeks, Transit will begin replacing the old, manual fareboxes on all buses with new, state-of-the-art, electronic fareboxes. The new boxes will not accept pennies or paper banknotes. Only Canadian or US coins of at least a nickel or higher denomination will be accepted. Coins will be validated and counted as they are dropped through the coin slot, while payment information will be presented visually on a display screen that is mounted on the top of the farebox. Customers are reminded that operators do not carry change.
The new boxes will continue to accept tickets but they must be inserted into the ticket slot mounted separately from the coin slot. Paper transfers will be printed and issued by the new farebox.
Also effective February 1, 2013, a Blue Loonie will be worth one dollar off any cash fare on all Regular and Hand-Transit service. Blue Loonies are available at participating Downtown Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) merchants. To learn more about the Blue Loonie program visit downtownwinnipegbiz.com. Winnipeg Transit will continue to work with the Downtown BIZ to promote the downtown as a vibrant commercial district.
Phase two of the fare collection system, expected to be completed in late 2013, includes the introduction of new “Smartcard” technology that will replace tickets and paper passes. For more information about Winnipeg Transit’s new fare collection system, visit winnipegtransit.com.