How Can I Pay For the Bus With Cash?

You can pay for the bus with cash if you have exact change, but make sure to get a ticket or other pass before boarding. This will help you avoid paying a single-ride fare (which is $2.75) on the bus and will also keep you safe from being scolded by the driver.

Riders can purchase fares from our ticket machines located at select bus stops and on the buses. One-way and return tickets, as well as day passes can be purchased with cash or an ORCA card.

Using your ORCA card is the easiest way to pay for the bus. You can swipe the card on the OMNY reader as you board or show your ORCA card to the driver.

If you do not have an ORCA card, you can buy a single-ride MetroCard from a MetroCard vending machine located in most subway stations or in bus stops. You can then use the MetroCard to ride the bus or transfer to another bus route.

You can also use your MetroCard to pay for a fare on an ST Express bus or on the ferries. However, the fares on these services are much higher than on most other routes.

To avoid paying a higher price on the bus, you can transfer your MetroCard from a local bus route to an ST Express bus or from an express bus to a local bus within two hours of boarding the first bus. The transfers are encoded on your MetroCard and can be re-swiped when you ride the bus or subway again.

For example, if you board a local bus to go downtown and then board an ST Express bus back to your destination, you will only pay the single-ride fare of $2.75 for each leg of the trip.

If you are using an MTA card, you can also receive free transfers between your local bus and subway. These transfers will be swiping-encoded on your card and can be re-swiped when the transfer expires.

*Note: This feature is only available on MTA-owned and -operated buses, as well as on certain buses operated by other transit agencies that have contracts with the MTA. For more information, visit the MTA’s FAQ page on transfers between buses and trains.

You can also pay for the bus with cash if you use a Stored Value card or Clipper card on an AC Transit bus or if you purchase a pass on Clipper Mobile, our mobile app. To use your mobile pass, just tap your Clipper card or digital wallet to the pulsating fare box or show your Pass to the driver.

Alternatively, you can pay your fare on the sidewalk at a Select Bus Service station stop using a MetroCard or coin machine. Then you can board the bus and hold onto your receipt as proof of payment. If you are caught riding without a receipt, you will be subject to an MTA fare evasion fine of $100.