Denver RTD
Denver RTD on Nov. 25 announced that it is introducing Tap-n-Ride, a new fare payment option that provides a quick, secure and convenient way for customers to pay their fare at any validator.
Customers simply need to tap a Visa or Mastercard credit, debit, or prepaid card—or use a Visa or Mastercard loaded into a mobile wallet—directly on a bus or rail validator and ride. Mobile wallet payment options include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, and are available in a mobile phone or smart watch. RTD plans to add American Express and Discover card options to its Tap-n-Ride program in early 2026.
With Tap-n-Ride, customers, RTD says, can forgo using a ticket vending machine (TVM), having cash on hand, visiting a sales outlet, buying a mobile ticket, or preloading fare into their MyRide account. While all other existing fare payment methods will remain available for customers, Tap-n-Ride provides an additional, convenient fare payment option. Tap-n-Ride functions similarly to the agency’s MyRide card process.
“The introduction of Tap-n-Ride provides an experience that is easy to navigate, equitable, and accessible for everyone who relies on RTD,” said Debra A. Johnson, RTD’s General Manager and CEO. “This new fare payment option is focused on removing barriers and offering customers a seamless, straightforward experience where they can simply tap and ride. With fare capping available, customers can feel confident they’re always getting the best fare on each and every trip.”
More information is available here.
Skyline
Since the second segment of HART’s Skyline opened to the public on Oct. 16, weekday ridership numbers have routines surpassed 10,000 daily, according to data provided to Aloha State Daily by the City and County of Honolulu.
According to the Aloha State Daily report, there were three Mondays—Oct. 20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 10—where the number of riders dipped just below that threshold: 9,816, 9,936 and 9,998 respectively.
Veteran’s Day, which was Tuesday, Nov. 11, had the lowest weekday ridership tally since Oct. 16, with 7,966.
Opening day of segment 2 had the highest weekday count so far, with 11,897 riders, followed by Wednesday, Nov. 19, with 11,298. Even more turned out for a fare-free weekend on Oct. 18 and 19.
“The Department of Transportation Services is incredibly pleased to see our communities embrace Skyline as a new alternative way to get around,” DTS Deputy Director Jon Nouchi said in a statement provided to Aloha State Daily. “We are now seeing average weekday ridership surpass 11,000 passengers, a figure that is triple what we carried during the operation of Segment 1.”
According to the Aloha State Daily, in September, daily ridership counts ranged from 1,842 to 7,519. Prior to the second section of the rail route opening last month, monthly ridership numbers this year had been as low as 89,167 in June and as high as 119,513 in September.
In October, ridership totaled 241,373.
Here are the weekday counts from Oct. 16 through Nov. 21, provided by the city:
- Thursday, Oct. 16 — 11,879 riders
- Friday Oct. 17 — 10,471
- Monday, Oct. 20 — 9,816
- Tuesday, Oct. 21 — 10,179
- Wednesday, Oct. 22 — 10,839
- Thursday, Oct. 23 — 10,363
- Friday, Oct. 24 — 10,037
- Monday, Oct. 27 — 9,936
- Tuesday, Oct. 28 — 10,299
- Wednesday, Oct. 29 — 10,350
- Thursday, Oct. 30 — 10,437
- Friday, Oct. 31 — 10,308 (Halloween)
- Monday, Nov. 3 — 10,274
- Tuesday, Nov. 4 — 10,762
- Wednesday, Nov. 5 — 10,884
- Thursday, Nov. 6 —10,593
- Friday, Nov. 7 — 10,410
- Monday, Nov. 10 — 9,998
- Tuesday, Nov. 11 — 7,966 (Veterans Day)
- Wednesday, Nov. 12 — 10,655
- Thursday, Nov. 13 — 10,603
- Friday, Nov. 14 — 10,393
- Monday, Nov. 17 — 10,583
- Tuesday, Nov. 18 — 11,068
- Wednesday, Nov. 19 — 11,298
- Thursday, Nov. 20 — 11,244
- Friday, Nov. 21 — 10,524
LA Metro
LA Metro recently announced that combined registrations for its LIFE and GoPass programs, which provide free rides and discounted passes to low income, student and fire-impacted Angelenos, has exceeded 1,000,000 since 2021, “marking a major milestone in the transit agency’s efforts to make transit more equitable and accessible,” according to a Van Nuys News Press report.
“In total, these programs have provided low-income residents, fire-impacted Angelenos and students from participating school districts with more than 92 million free rides and 14 million rides on discounted passes,” according to the report.
“Growing these programs have been a major focus for our team over the last few years, so it’s very satisfying to see how far we’ve come in a relatively short period of time,” said LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Transportation is the number two household expense, behind housing, so these free rides through GoPass and LIFE are changing lives in a really meaningful way. Thank you to all our LIFE and GoPass riders for choosing Metro to get around the region, and we’ll continue to identify ways to make these programs easier and more accessible to everyone who depends on us.”
