OC Explained: Fare capping
You may have heard the term “fare capping” recently.
We recently expanded O-Payment across all bus fare readers and station fare gates. An exciting feature of O-Payment is “fare capping”. This means that customers who use the same credit card or mobile wallet to pay for their fares will never pay more than the cost of a DayPass or Adult monthly pass over the course of a day or month.
We caught up with Brad, Program Manager of Customer Technology Systems, to get his top “tap tips” when it comes to fare capping.
What is fare capping?
Fare capping refers to a limit, or “cap” on the fares that a customer would pay either per day, or per month. Once the customer reaches the fare cap, they can continue to ride for free!
Fare capping is currently only available for credit card and mobile wallet payment. Brad explains, “When you pay with credit card or mobile wallet on any bus or the O-Train, your fares will automatically be capped at a daily or monthly maximum price, no matter how many trips you take during that period of time.”
What are the daily and monthly fare caps and how can I get them?
When paying for fares using your credit card or mobile wallet, your daily maximum fare will automatically be capped at the price of a DayPass ($11.75). “This means that no matter how many trips you take in one day, you will never pay more than $11.75 in fares for that day” says Brad.
The monthly fare cap works the same way as the daily fare cap. When you pay with your credit card or mobile wallet on any OC Transpo bus or the O-Train, your monthly maximum fare will automatically be capped at the price of an Adult monthly pass ($128.75). This means that no matter how many trips you take over the course of a month, you will never pay more than $128.75 in fares for that month.
Tap Tip
Take advantage of fare capping by using the same credit card or mobile wallet each time you pay. Charges are totalled overnight and will usually appear on your credit card statement in one or two days.
What are the benefits of fare capping?
Brad explains that fare capping gives customers more flexibility. “Daily and monthly fare capping means never having to worry about whether to buy a daily or monthly pass. Just tap and ride, and O-Payment will automatically apply the cap. You will never spend more than $11.75 in a day or $128.75 in a month.”
With O-Payment, there’s no longer a need to buy a separate card or to keep your e-Purse topped up. You can use the same credit card or mobile wallet that you use for your daily purchases.
Tap Tip
Track your O-Payment transactions and download receipts online at o-payment.octranspo.com.
Find out more about O-Payment here.
Does Para Transpo have fare capping?
Para Transpo customers who pay for their trips by debit card, credit card or mobile wallet also automatically have their daily charges capped at the price of a DayPass ($11.75) if they take multiple urban trips in one day. Just like O-Payment, you need to use the same card each time to take advantage of fare capping.
Para Transpo rural fares will not be capped but will be discounted after the daily cap total of a DayPass has been reached.
More details about fare capping on Para Transpo are available here.
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