Officials with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County announced Jan. 5 its transition to a new fare system, RideMETRO, which replaces and discontinues the METRO Q Fare Card.

What they're saying

METRO riders can purchase the RideMETRO $2 fare card, according to METRO’s website, and load money at any of the following locations:

Riders can check their balance on the RideMETRO app. After 10 paid trips, riders get one free trip, according to METRO’s announcement.

Sorting out details

For those who still have a balance on a METRO Q Fare Card, riders can still use the Q card for a short time, but won’t be able to add money to it after Jan. 31. Balances from the Q card can be added to the new RideMETRO card at one of the main RideStore locations.



“You should plan to get the new card, then use up the balance on your METRO Q Fare Card before disposing of it,” METRO officials said on their website.

The gist

Transit payment options now include:

  • Credit, debit or prepaid cards
  • Apple Pay or Google Pay
  • RideMETRO Card or app

The cost

No fare increases are taking place as part of the new fare system, according to the METRO website.

  • The regular fare is $1.25 to use the local bus, METRORail and METRO curb2curb services.
  • Park & Ride bus service fare ranges from $2-$4.50, depending on location.