Tap-to-pay system for Edmonton-area transit is here

Transit users from Edmonton and its surrounding areas can now pay with a tap.

The new payment feature allows riders to pay for their bus or LRT fare by tapping their debit card, credit card or phone wallet on an Arc validator. Riders are then required to tap again — using the same payment method — when exiting.

Those new fare options are available in all locations using Arc.

Arc cards and tickets, and cash fares on buses, will continue to be accepted.

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) will no longer accept paper tickets in 2026.

Those with fare concessions or discounted fares can also pay by tapping, but they will need to apply the concession to their payment card online.

Period pass holders, like U-Pass or school board pases, must continue to use an Arc card for the length of their school term.

Riders are encouraged to use the same payment method each time to get the best daily or monthly fare rate.

“Physical and digital versions of the same card are considered to be two different cards, and will have separate fare caps. So riders should pick one fare payment method and use it consistently,” the City of Edmonton says.

Transit agencies in Edmonton, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, St. Albert and Strathcona County currently use Arc.