A new payment system, set to roll out at the start of 2026, aims to make riding the bus in San Luis Obispo County faster, easier, and more convenient.
Instead of fumbling with coins, tickets, or physical passes, riders will be able to simply tap their phone, debit card, or credit card to pay when boarding.
“I’ll just take my phone, tap it, it’ll beep, and the driver will know I’ve paid,” explained Geoff Straw, RTA Executive Director.
The open-loop payment system is designed to streamline boarding, cut down on wait times, and make riding more appealing by giving passengers a quicker and more efficient payment experience similar to buying a cup of coffee.
“You can purchase your pass on the bus with your phone or card exactly the same way you would buy a coffee,” SLOCOG Transportation Planner Stephen Hanamaikai said.
The change is part of a statewide push to boost public transit use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2035.
The City of San Luis Obispo hopes to return to pre-pandemic ridership levels, which were about 1 million trips per year. Now, they're logging roughly 660,000 trips annually. Their plan calls for increasing public transit to 12% of all trips taken in the city and adding 500,000 rides per year until 2035.
According to the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG), the new open-loop payment system could boost ridership by 1% annually.
“Transit’s an affordable way for people to get around. The more we encourage people to ride, the better we can meet our community goals,” Hanamaikai said.
The $970,000 project is funded through state grants awarded to SLOCOG. It’s just one part of a larger strategy to grow ridership, which also includes:
- Expanding the region’s electric bus fleet
- Increasing bus routes and service coverage
- Developing a “mobility wallet,” a prepaid debit card program that would allow low-income residents to travel for free
The new tap-and-pay system is expected to be installed throughout San Luis Obispo County transit by early 2026.
