OCTA retires paper bus passes, fully transitions to WAVE
RIP OCTA Paper Passes
It’s the end of the line for OCTA paper passes. Starting May 1, the magnetic backstripped pass will officially be retired and no longer accepted as fare payment.
The transition comes six months after OCTA released its new form of bus passes called WAVE while simultaneously ending sales of paper passes.
WAVE comes in a plastic reloadable card, on the app or connects with a debit or credit card to monitor daily usage to ensure riders don’t pay more than $4.50 a day and more than $69 per month.
Paper bus passes have often been handed out at homeless shelters and food banks. Throughout the years, OCTA held $20 summer promotions for its youth passes and briefly sold welcome passes at discounted rates.
Effective Friday, May 1st, OCTA will fully transition to its WAVE fare payment system. Any monthly paper passes activated in April will continue to be accepted through May.
The blue plastic WAVE cards can be purchased at local Ralph’s, Vons and Northgate grocery stores. It can also be bought at the OCTA headquarters on Main Street. Cash and coin will still be accepted.
To learn more about WAVE, click here.
