39. Your fare questions answered

Juliana: 00:00

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of your daily commute?

Ricky: 00:03

Or how transportation impacts the community you call home?

Juliana: 00:06

Maybe you want to explore outside your community and don't know where to start.

Ricky: 00:10

Well, you're in luck because this is where you hop on.

Juliana: 00:13

I'm Julianna Vazquez-Keating.

Ricky: 00:14

And I'm Ricky Tejada.

Juliana: 00:16

We work for Valley Metro and together we'll discover all the ways that public transit enhances lives across the cities we serve.

Ricky: 00:23

And we might even make some new friends along the way.

Juliana: 00:26

Welcome to Storylines. The future of fare is here. On this episode of Storylines, we're celebrating the rollout of our new fare system.

Ricky: 00:36

From buying passes on your phone to purchasing and loading copper cards, riders now have more options than ever to purchase fare.

Juliana: 00:44

But with any major transition, there's always a bit of a learning curve. We want to do as much as we can to educate riders about the new fare system. That's why we brought in one of our fare experts to help answer some of the most asked questions we get about fare.

Renata: 01:00

My name is Renata Cló, and my title is Public Information Officer.

Juliana: 01:06

So Renata for those who may not be aware, could you explain Valley Metro's new fare system?

Renata: 01:14

Sure. We are introducing Smart Fare and eliminating paper passes. That means that in order for riders to access most fare options we have, they need to either have a copper card or download the Valley Metro app. They can add funds to their copper card or the Valley Metro app to ride. And once they reached a daily, weekly or monthly fares, they don't pay extra to keep riding within that time period.

Ricky: 01:45

All right. So smart fare seems pretty cool, but are there cash options in the new system? Like how do they work?

Renata: 01:51

Yes, absolutely. We have more cash options to pay for fares than we previously had with our old system, riders can pay a 1-Ride cash on board the bus and they can also buy a 1-Ride fare at light rail stations at the fare machines. They can also buy and reload their copper cards at hundreds of retail locations with cash and they can also add funds to the Valley Metro app with cash at hundreds of retail locations. Fare machines and transit center windows also accept cash, where riders can reload by their copper card.

Juliana: 02:38

Awesome. I know we've been getting that question a lot. A lot of people were worried, you know, that there were no cash options and that you needed a bank account, but that's not the case.

Renata: 02:46

No, they do not need to have a bank account, riders who do not want to have an account associated with Valley Metro do not need to have one to access the daily, weekly or monthly fares. They can simply buy a copper card and load funds to it. They don't need to register. We encourage riders to register their copper cards online at valleymetrofares.org. So, in case that copper card is stolen or lost, riders can then call customer service and protect their funds.

Juliana: 03:24

So where can riders purchase fare?

Renata: 03:27

They can purchase fare at transit center windows, fare machines on the light rail station on the Valley Metro app online at valleymetrofares.org and hundreds of retail locations.

Juliana: 03:41

So, Renata, you mentioned the retail network. What stores are participating and how does it work?

Renata: 03:47

So, for copper cards, if you want to buy or reload a copper card, you can go online at valleymetro.org/coppercard and you're going to see a map full of reload and purchase copper card locations all over the Valley, but the main ones where you can buy and reload the copper card is Circle K Walgreens, Safeway, Albertson's, Bashas. Those are the ones that come to me at the top of my mind. For those who want to add funds using cash to the app, they can go to valleymetro.org/cashapp. They're also going to see a map full of retail locations where they can add funds to the app. They will open the Valley Metro app, click on wallet, then select add funds, then select add fund so, using cash, a barcode will appear on the screen. You're going to hand your phone with the barcode to the cashier, tell them the amount you'd like to add, and then those funds will be in your account. For copper cards, we also have a barcode on the back of the card. You hand your copper cards to the cashier, tell them the amount you'd like to add and those funds will be added to your account.

Ricky: 05:09

What's the best way for a family to purchase fare do they need multiple cards or accounts?

Renata: 05:15

Valley Metro is currently working on a feature that will allow a family, a main, account holder to manage multiple copper cards, but that feature is not available yet. So for families, we encourage them, especially families who have children between 6 and 18 to go online at valleymetrofares.org, apply for reduced fare account for each child and then, through the fares website, the families can manage those reduced fare copper cards and or accounts. But each person does need to have their own account.

Juliana: 05:54

Okay, that's good to know. So in the meantime, can people load a few different copper cards on one account. Say if they have guests coming into town, can they purchase, say, two or three cards and load them using the same account and just load different fare on them?

Renata: 06:13

No, they cannot do that. We are working on a feature. It's going to be mainly targeted to families. So, an account holder will be able to manage multiple copper cards within one account. That feature is not available yet. So, for people who are coming out of town and need to purchase fare to ride on Valley Metro, we encourage them to either download the Valley Metro app and use mobile fare to ride or they can also go to a fare machine at light rail stations, a retail location, buy a copper card, add funds to it and riding the system, or they can also buy a 1-ride fare option at fare machines at light rail stations or on board the bus.

Ricky: 07:03

So what if I have like ten paper passes that I haven't used yet? Since you're not doing paper passes anymore, I think those machines have been taken out, right? I can't validate them. What do I do?

Renata: 07:15

Well, you have until December 31st to exchange your paper passes for credit on the new system. You can choose between getting credit on the Valley Metro app or on a copper card. You can go to any of the Phoenix Transit Center windows Ed Pastor, Sunnyslope, or Central Station, take your unused paper passes with you and ask them to add credit on a copper card or on the app.

Ricky: 07:44

Alright, so what I'm getting is it's either the Valley Metro app or the copper card, right?

Renata: 07:50

Yes.

Ricky: 07:51

So, are the main benefits of using the Valley Metro app?

Renata: 07:55

The Valley Metro app is free. It has a lot of really cool features. You can use the trip planner to plan your trip. You can access your smart fare progress at your fingertips. You also have options to add funds to your account with cash at retail locations. And it doesn't require you to carry anything else with you, but your phone that you already have.

Juliana: 08:22

And then the copper card is also an option, so what would you say are the main benefits of using a copper card?

Renata: 08:30

You do not need to have internet connection to use a copper card. You can still pay for fares and take your ride if your battery has died or you lost your phone or you forget it, or you're like me and you forgot it somewhere. So it can be more reliable in that sense. And with a copper card, you can still manage your account online on the Valley Metro fares website. You can also check your balance at fare machines at light rail stations. So you still have plenty of options to manage and check your account and track your Smart Fare progress without relying on your phone.

Juliana: 09:14

And there is a one-time fee to purchase a copper card, right?

Renata: 09:17

Yes, a copper card comes with a $4 one-time fee when you buy it. And then once you have it, you have to add funds to it.

Ricky: 09:28

Does it expire?

Renata: 09:30

No, it does not expire.

Ricky: 09:33

And how many can I get? Can I have like, ten?

Renata: 09:36

Yes, you can have 10, but if you use 10 different copper cards, that doesn't mean that every time you use a different copper card, you're gonna have a different smart fare progress in each one of that card. So you might end up riding a lot and not benefiting from the $64 monthly fare. You might end up paying more than you would if you're only using one copper card.

Ricky: 10:04

Got it, so I'll just stick to one then.

Renata: 10:06

Yes. And Ricky, you should really register your copper card. So, if you lose it, we can protect the, your balance.

Ricky: 10:16

Got it. I'm surprised I haven't done that yet.

Juliana: 10:19

So where can riders learn more about Valley Metro's new fare system?

Renata: 10:25

We have a lot of information available on how to make the best out of our new fare system at valleymetrofares.org, our new fares website. Riders can apply for reduced fare there. They can get information about the new fare system there. They can manage their accounts. They can check their smart fare progress status. So, we really encourage riders to get informed and register their copper cards and manage their accounts at Valleymetrofares.org.

Ricky: 10:57

We've learned a lot today about the new fare system. Before we go, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Renata: 11:03

We are really excited to have this new fare system. Our old system was outdated. It was time for us to invest in new technology and introduce more convenient, payment options for our riders. We also believe that this new system is more equitable. It eliminates the need for riders to pay up front for fares. So, if a rider doesn't have $64 at the beginning of the month to pay for fares, they can pay as they go and still benefit from our best deals. And with Smart Fare, we are also ensuring that riders only pay for the rides they take. So in the past, when a rider bought a 31 day pass for $64, they may not have ridden enough in that month to benefit from that pass. But now, We are basically ensuring that our benefit from our best deals.

Juliana: 12:08

What's great about talking with our fare experts is that I always feel like I learn something new every single time. And that's coming from someone who talks to them on a daily basis. I hope this episode gave our listeners some peace of mind and got them excited to get a copper card or sign up for an account in the Valley Metro app

Ricky: 12:25

As a reminder, if you still have some unused paper passes. You can still exchange them for credit through December 31st, 2024. You can exchange them at the Valley Metro Mobility Center as well as the Sunnyslope. Ed Pastor, and Central Station Transit Center windows. You can learn more at valleymetrofares.org.

Juliana: 12:44

And if you have additional questions, you can call our customer service department at 602-253-5000 and hit option three for fare support. That's it for this episode of Storylines. Don't forget to subscribe on your podcast app of choice so you never miss an episode. For Valley Metro, I'm Juliana.

Ricky: 13:03

I'm Ricky,

Juliana: 13:05

Thanks for riding with us.

Ricky: 13:05

We'll meet you at the next stop.

Juliana: 13:17

Storylines is produced by Alex Tsotsos. Peter Corkery is the executive producer. For Ricky Tejada, I'm Julianna Vasquez-Keating, thanks for listening