EMTA UPDATE DIGITAL FARE COLLECTION AND TAP TO PAY
Erie, PA- The Erie Metropolitan Transportation Authority will update its digital fare collection for regular Fixed Routes beginning Monday, April 13th, 2026.
EMTA’s digital fare collection app, Token Transit, will update pass validators to scan QR codes for riders as well as implement ‘Tap to Pay’ for credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more.
All active Token Transit passengers’ apps and current passes will automatically update to the new QR code passes. QR codes will automatically generate and update every 10 seconds to avoid invalid pass transfer.
Passengers are still able to purchase regular 1-Ride, 5-Ride, 20-Ride, Day pass and 31-Day passes and well as Reduced Fare passes within the Token Transit App. The new validators also have the ability to collect touchless payment via ‘Tap to Pay’ with credit or debit cards, smartphones and watches for individual riders.
“Upgrading our digital fare collection is one more way EMTA is working to continuously improve our transit system,” says EMTA CEO, Jeremy Peterson. “These new validators will improve the boarding process and increase accessibility to our regular passengers and those who are new or only ride occasionally.”
Token Transit users also may benefit from the ‘fare-capping’ feature. Fare-capping is a pay-as-you-go system that guarantees riders will never pay more than the lowest authorized fare for any period of travel. This is based on single ride and day passes purchased through the app. Once a rider has purchased $52.00 in 1-Ride or Day passes, the app will automatically grant the rider free rides for the rest of the month ($52.00 is the highest cash valued pass for 31 days unlimited rides).
Token Transit has been EMTA’s digital fare collection service since 2021 and collected digital fare payment with the app through Bluetooth validators. The new QR code validators will be located at the front of the bus on the right side when passengers board.
Passengers may still pay their fare with cash and/or the paper passes. It is important to note EMTA no longer accepts tokens or pennies and does not make change for fares paid in cash.
An FAQ page about the updates to Token Transit is available here