Transit fare collection returns Thursday to Belleville Transit

Photo By Brendan Burke, QNet News

By Trey Boivin

BELLEVILLE – Belleville Transit users will have to pay for their ride again starting Thursday.

It’s one of a number of changes Belleville Transit is rolling out on Oct. 1.

Belleville buses have not been accepting fare payments since March 19.

But on Thursday, they will resume collection and are adding more options to pay fares.

All fare prices are as follows,

• $3 for adults and students
• 2.25 for seniors
• $2 for kids from ages 5 to 12.

These prices will remain the same, however, there will be a new option to buy a $65 pass that will cover all transit rides within a 30-day period. This price was determined as the lowest figure that the city could offer that would still cover costs, said Paul Buck, the manager of transit operation in Belleville, in an interview with QNet News.

The previous monthly passes that were offered by the city ranged from $60 to $76 per 30 days but required proof of the buyer’s age or status as a student.

The new standardized $65 pass doesn’t require any proof to purchase and can allow the city to sell them in a wider variety of places, says Buck.

“What we wanted to do was to bring a pass price in that everybody could afford,” he says.

This new pass can be purchased in any Shoppers Drug Mart located in Belleville, Giant Tiger, Friends Variety store, City Hall and the new fare app.

The new transit app, called B-Tap, allows riders to pay their fare remotely without the need for cash to be exchanged. It can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

“This was a way to get people back on the bus and to maintain that safe distance barrier between passenger and driver,” says Buck.

The app has been in development since last year and was initially ready to launch on March 16, incidentally the same day Belleville closed its facilities due to COVID-19, Buck says.