Bus riders in the Victoria Regional Transit System will soon be able to use a new contactless method of payment.
BC Transit said in an emailed statement that one of Umo’s payment methods will be available in the transit system this summer. Once Umo is in place, riders will first be able to pay with a mobile app and reloadable smart card and then at a later date people will be able to use credit cards, debit cards or a mobile wallet.
The Victoria Regional Transit System was chosen as the first system to implement Umo.
BC Transit said in the statement that Umo will then be quickly rolled out in 30 transit systems across the province. Riders will still be able to pay with cash.
BC Transit had previously announced that the tap-and-go fare systems would be fully implemented in Victoria Regional Transit System in the spring.
An Umo pilot project has already been launched for BC Transit employees and external transit stakeholder participants and is expected to continue for several more weeks.
Monthly passes will eventually be exchanged for 30-day passes with the launch of Umo. The purpose of the change is to give riders more flexibility since they will no longer have to wait until the start of a calendar month.
Riders will also be able to load cash on their account and use that balance to pay for trips. Buying the 30-day passes and loading cash can be done on a mobile device, through a web portal or at a retailer.