Huntsville rolls out new touchless fare app for public transportation

Orbit bus
Pay from your phone with Token Transit. (City of Huntsville)

Taking Huntsville’s public transit system just got easier.

As of February 22, you can now use the Token Transit app to pay your bus fare on Orbit and Access buses. Here’s what you need to know.

Contactless pay

Token transit app
Token Transit is free to download in the app store. (Emily Phillips / Hville Blast)

Huntsville is now using Token Transit, a free app that allows residents to purchase bus fare using only their smartphone. It is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Prior to the app’s rollout, bus tickets had to be purchased from the Public Transit Office at 500-B Church Street, or you could pay your fare with cash upon entering the bus. Now, simply download the app, enter your rider information, upload a payment method and go. Once you get on the bus, you simply show the bus driver your ticket on your phone.

According to the City of Huntsville, the new method takes only 4-5 seconds per rider, whereas cash transactions take upwards of 20 seconds per rider.

Current fares for Orbit buses are:

  • $1 for one-way fare
  • $0.50 for one-way fare for seniors, disabled individuals, Medicare/Medicaid card holders, students and children 6 and under
  • $18 for a book of 20 one-way tickets
  • $30 for a monthly pass

Access, which is Huntsville’s ADA-accessible public transit, costs $2 for one-way fare and must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.

Other transport apps

Token Transit joins a couple other apps that Huntsville residents can use to make public transportation more convenient. These include:

  • Amble: Allows Access clients to reserve trips and track rides. Riders must be set up as customers to use the app—call Trae Wiley at 256.427.6829 for more info.
  • Route Shout 2.0: Gives real-time updates about bus locations and arrival times.

The new fare app is expected to make Huntsville’s public transit more efficient and easier to use.

“This is an exciting step toward making public transportation easier to use and more accessible for everyone. Smartphones are such an integral part of our daily lives, so being able to board a bus using an app seems like a natural extension.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle

Are you downloading Token Transit? Tell us about your experience by using #hvilleblast.

Emily Phillips
Emily Phillips
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