Bay Crossings Bus Rider’s Journal

Bus Fare

By Steve Geller

Bus riding isn’t free. If you want to ride a bus, you have to pay the fare.

The classic way to pay is cash; drop your money into the fare box. Regular bus riders like me carry a monthly pass, and wave it jauntily at the driver. The driver sometimes nods and smiles; possession of the pass means I’m a steady user of the bus service.

To a new bus rider, the process of paying the fare can be a bit intimidating. The amount of the fare may not be displayed on the outside of the bus. Among the group of people boarding a bus, everyone except the new guy knows what the fare is. One doesn’t find out until faced with the fare box, with the bus driver looming behind it. The sign on the fare box may be a bureaucratic bunch of rows and columns, showing all the different fare options. Of course, the simple solution for the confused new rider is to just ask the driver what the fare is; there’s no shame in that.

You will definitely get spotted as a new bus rider if you ask for change. Once upon a time, back in the streetcar days, the driver just drove, and there was a conductor who carried a change-maker. The two-man crew survives only on archaic transit like the San Francisco cable cars. These days, the bus driver doesn’t handle money at all. Exact change, please.

Most riders know what the fare is, have it ready when they get on, and quickly deposit it in the fare box.

The occasional rider is a bit absent minded. These folks become aware of the need for the fare only after they get into the bus. They stand at the fare box, blocking other boarders, while they fiddle with purse, pocket or knapsack. While this is going on, the bus is falling behind schedule, and other passengers may be standing in line outside, with cold rain running down their necks.

Adult fare on AC Transit is $1.35. Your ferry ticket includes free transfer stubs to AC Transit buses. BART has a similar deal.

If you’re over 65, under 12, or disabled, bus fare is 65 cents. Kids under 5 ride free, up to 2 kids per fare-paying passenger – I guess that’s AC Transit’s contribution to zero population growth. The best deal by far is the monthly pass for seniors – for $13 you can ride wherever and whenever you like, all month long.

Bus fares aren’t as complicated as airline fares, but there still are a lot of options. The well-trained bus driver must be prepared to accept cash, transfers, tickets from a discount book, monthly passes, regional senior/disabled discount cards, BART-plus cards (for the current half-month), the UC "Class Pass" and passes and transfers from Muni, SamTrans and others.

Besides this, there are the people who don’t have quite enough money to ride, or sadly offer a long-expired transfer. I’ve seen a kid just stand there, sullenly listening to a lecture on fiscal responsibility from the driver, until he is allowed on for free.

As might be expected, the bus drivers vary widely in their vigilance and enforcement of the fare rules.

On Muni, the basic fare is still only $1, seniors and youth (up to age 17) pay 35 cents, and all kids ride free. SamTrans charges $1.10, but VTA (Santa Clara County) wants $1.25.