End of sales for ETS paper tickets and passes
These sessions will offer in-person assistance to riders setting up their Arc accounts.
Edmontonians will no longer be able to buy paper bus passes and tickets for Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), as the city transitions to a new electronic fare payment system called Arc.
Starting November 9, ETS will stop selling traditional paper fare products and will fully implement Arc for all transit riders. Beginning December 1, riders who previously purchased monthly passes will need to switch to Arc, as the November 2024 pass will be the last paper version available.
To help with the transition, ETS will host drop-in sessions at select City of Edmonton recreation centres and the Edmonton Service Centre from late October to early December.
These sessions will offer in-person assistance to riders setting up their Arc accounts.
The final phase of the Arc system, expected to launch in 2025, will include open payment options allowing riders to tap on and off transit using mobile phones, credit, or debit cards.
With Arc, riders will benefit from:
Tapping on and off buses and LRT without needing exact change or paper passes.
Managing their Arc accounts online, by phone, or at transit facilities.
Loading money into their accounts with credit, debit, or cash.
Fare caps, meaning once riders reach the daily or monthly maximum fare, they can continue using ETS for free for the rest of the period.
As part of the phase-out, ETS will no longer sell paper ticket packs, family/day passes, or monthly passes for any group. However, pre-purchased tickets valid until December 31, 2023, and Family/Day passes expiring in 2024 will still be accepted until the end of 2025. Cash fares and paper transfers will remain valid indefinitely.
