The public transportation network in Edmonton and its region now offers contactless payment. Users can use the terminals on buses or at the entrance to light rail stations.
All card types are accepted: credit and debit, as well as smartphone payment applications.
Contactless payment is possible on board Edmonton transportation, but also on the network in the municipalities of Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, Saint-Albert and Strathcona County.
This technology has been awaited for several years in the Alberta capital.
“Just tap and pay”
Previously, you had to have an ARC card and reload it to be able to travel on the Edmonton Public Transit Company (ETS) network. It is still possible to buy single tickets on buses without using contactless payment, but only coins are accepted, and drivers do not give change.
No more searching for change in your pockets. No need for an account, no need to plan ahead, just tap and pay
summarized Wade Coombs, director of transportation for Strathcona County during a press conference Monday morning.
Users welcome this. This is the case of Maksym Kurylenko. Today, it already saved my day, because I lost my ARC card this weekend and I had to buy another one
he explained on Monday.
For drivers, this is seen as a time saver. Just tap the little box and get on the bus. This will go very quickly for the drivers and for the people who take the bus.
says a bus driver, Ernest Bastide.
The daily and monthly price caps will also be applied with payment by bank card, provided that you always use the same card or the same electronic wallet. This means that users will pay no more than $10.50 per day (in Edmonton) and more than $102 per month (for all affected municipalities).
Bus and light rail station terminals are now equipped with contactless payment technology in the Edmonton area.
Photo: Louna Marchet
A long-awaited service
In Vancouver, contactless payment has been available on public transport since 2018 with a credit card and since 2023 with a debit card. This technology is also available in Ottawa and Toronto since 2023.
Edmontonians have been waiting for this service for several years.
This is the best way to feel comfortable and find it convenient to use public transportation. This option is available in many cities. I always wondered when Edmonton would finally offer this option. And today, it finally is.
According to Carrie Haughton McDonald, representative of theETSthis project took time, because it was necessary to take into account the realities of the different municipal networks.
All surrounding municipalities as well as Edmonton collaborated. We each have our own approach to ticket prices and caps. The implementation of this project therefore required a more complex pricing structure
she adds.
With information from Louna Marchet
