Welcome to Wave – RIPTA’s new smart fare collection system!

You now pay your bus fare using either a Wave smart card OR the Wave mobile app.

The Wave smart card is a permanent, rechargeable card used to pay your bus fare that you can easily manage online. It is plastic and embedded with a special computer chip that keeps track of the value of the card.

The Wave mobile app lets you quickly buy bus fares on your phone.  When ready to board the bus, open the app, and scan it under the validator.

Once you add value to your Wave account, the Wave reader will deduct $2 from your stored balance when you tap your card or scan your app when you board. The $2 fare entitles you to one hour of unlimited rides!

What are the benefits of Wave?

• Pay only $2 for ONE HOUR of unlimited rides!
• Earn As You Go – You no longer have to purchase a Day Pass or Monthly Pass upfront. Each ride gets you closer to earning a Day or Monthly Pass.   Wave keeps track of your trips so you never have to pay more than you need to.  Once you spend $6 in a single day – the price of a Day Pass – you have earned the pass and will be not charged again that day no matter how many times you ride.  The same is true for RIPTA’s Monthly Pass which costs $70.  Once a passenger spends that amount in a calendar month, they are not charged for any rides for the rest of that month.
• Set up Auto Reload option. This feature allows you to set up Stored Value or pass products to automatically reload to your Wave when your Stored Value runs low. You choose how much Stored Value or which pass product you want to set up to Auto Reload.
• You never have to remember exact change. The fare amount is deducted from the stored value every time you ride.
• Secure ticket purchasing with your credit or debit card.
• Never lose your fare! Account balance and passes can be easily transferred if your registered Wave smart card or your phone is lost or stolen.
• More durable than traditional paper passes.
• Board the bus faster.

What should I do with my unused paper fare products?

You can transfer the value over to your new Wave card by filling out this form and then mailing your unused fare products to RIPTA.

Can I still buy paper fare products? As part of our transition to Wave, RIPTA has discontinued the sales of paper fare products online and onboard.

Can I use pretax dollars for my Wave pass? Yes, if your employer deducts the cost of a bus pass from your paycheck pre-tax, we can arrange that with your employer.

When did RIPTA stop accepting paper fare products for payment? As of January 15, 2022, RIPTA no longer accepts paper fare products for payment. Passengers must either pay with Wave, Exact Change or one of these fares.  Inserting more than the fare will no longer generate a Change Card.  

What other changes went into effect on January 15, 2022?  Paper transfers were eliminated.

Payment with Wave includes one hour of unlimited rides. Change Cards were eliminated.

Exact Change Only went into effect.

Payment with Wave includes one hour of unlimited rides. Change Cards are eliminated.

Can I pay my fare with a paper fare product? No. As of January 15, 2022, RIPTA no longer accepts paper fare products on board fixed-route service.

Click here to exchange your fare products.  

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