Riders on the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART), the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and Hernando County Transit (The Bus) can now tap to ride across Tampa Bay, Fla., using credit and debit cards, digital wallets (Google Pay or Apple Pay), as well as the Flamingo Fares smartcard or mobile app. This is the first-of-its-kind regional contactless payments system in the state of Florida.
“Contactless payments will make navigating our region much simpler not only for our existing riders, but for the thousands of tourists who visit all that Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay region has to offer,” said Brad Miller, CEO of PSTA. “You can still pay with your Flamingo Fares card but now have more options to use public transportation and reduce your carbon footprint.”
The Flamingo Fares system has fare capping implemented, meaning passengers always receive the lowest price as the system automatically caps prices whenever riders reach the daily or monthly thresholds. Riders using contactless payments (debit/credit/Google Pay/Apple Pay) will be able to take advantage of $5 daily fare capping.
“We are excited to offer our customers another way to pay their fare,” said Adelee Le Grand, CEO, HART. “Contactless payments on Flamingo Fares not only provides our customers with greater ease of access, removing another barrier from riding transit, but also assists in speeding up the boarding process, improving travel times.”
