About Riding with Transit Passes

Passes can be a great way to save money and not worry about loading fare as you go.

Pass basics

  • Passes are loaded into the Ventra transit account on your Ventra Card (the very same card you can load with value for individual fares).
  • Passes are good for the precise amount of time the pass is good for. For example, a 1-Day Pass is actually good for exactly 24 hours from the first time it’s used to board a bus or enter a train station.
  • You can load more than one pass at a time—this way, when one runs out, you have another ready to be activated on your next ride (it won't activate automatically until it is needed to cover your fare).
  • When you load passes, they’re stored in your pass queue until they’re activated by riding.

Good to know

  • Some passes can be used with autoload (7-Day, 30-Day), which automatically loads your next pass for you, in advance of an active one expiring.
  • Even though passes can only be used by one person, you can still pay for other riders traveling with you—additional riders’ fares will be covered by transit value, not passes.
  • When passes are available in your account to cover your fare, they will get used up before transit value (see the activation order, below).
  • If loading a one-time pass at a vending machine or online, you can apply transit value in your account toward the purchase of a pass.
  • If you have a negative transit value balance, you may not be able to use a pass with your card.

Pass activation order

Because your Ventra transit account can contain multiple fare payment options, your fare will be paid with the first payment method in your Ventra transit account containing sufficient value in the following order:

  1. Shorter duration joint CTA-Pace passes that are valid on both transit agencies
  2. Longer duration joint CTA-Pace passes that are valid on both transit agencies
  3. Shorter duration agency-specific passes that are valid on just one participating transit agency
  4. Longer duration agency-specific passes that are valid on just one participating transit agency
  5. Transit Benefit Value
  6. Transit Value

When you board and pay your fare, Ventra will automatically determine what types of passes and transit value are available in your account and your ride will be paid for accordingly. New passes will not be activated until the pass you are currently using expires, if you have an active pass that can cover your ride. A Ventra transit account can contain up to three passes at one time.

If there are no passes and insufficient transit value in your Ventra transit account, you will not be able to travel, or you will be charged a PAYG fare if you are using a contactless credit or debit bankcard.

See the Ventra User Agreement for complete details.

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