MetroRail riders will soon be required to use cash, the Capital Metro website or their smart phones to purchase train fare.
Starting Oct. 10, ticket vending machines at some MetroRail stations will no longer accept debit or credit cards; the machines will only accept cash. Riders will otherwise have to purchase a ticket on the Capital Metro website or smart phone application. The changes will be phased in at all nine MetroRail stations during a three-week time period.
MetroRail riders can still use debit or credit cards to buy ride fare on the phone app, online or at the transit store at 209 W. Ninth St., Austin, according to Capital Metro. Customers will also be able to buy train passes at retail outlets, including many H-E-B and Randall’s locations, with a debit card.
The ticket vending machines at all nine MetroRail stations will accept cash and store value cards, which are similar to gift cards, for commuter day passes and commuter single-ride tickets, according to a Capital Metro news release.
The transit authority is implementing the change because Capital Metro would have to spend nearly $5 million over the next five years to upgrade and maintain the ticket vending machines, Communications Manager Francine Pares said. The machines would need new chip technology to process credit and debit cards, and Capital Metro would have to pay for re-certification of the machines to remain compliant with national credit security regulations, she said.
