Public transit riders in Ottawa will soon be making the switch to contactless smart cards for fare payments. The new electronic fare system will allow riders to wave their cards at a card reader when boarding a bus, O-train, or any future rail lines. The smart cards will replace the city’s existing paper transit passes for unlimited travel. Riders can also prepay a specific amount and then have individual fares deducted from the card for each ride.

The City of Ottawa offered up a number of benefits as reasons to switch from paper tickets to smart card transit passes: The contactless smart cards will make it easier for passengers to pay fares. Boarding times will be faster. The smart card program will reduce fare evasion, and will save paper. And the smart card transit passes will be compatible with the system in Gatineau, allowing riders to easily travel between the two systems.