Transit Windsor is eliminating the magnetic pass for tunnel and combo bus riders and replacing them with a new reloadable smart pass.
The city bus service purchased new fare boxes a year and a half ago which allows for the upgraded technology.
Right now, transit riders purchase cards every month. The upgrade, now in effect, will allow riders for the tunnel and combo pass to use the same smart card and reload them at their convenience.
Sales and Marketing Manager David Calibaba says the new technology will be implemented in phases.
"In order for us to upgrade to the new machines, we have to remove all the magnetic passes, so we are going to do it slowly to make sure that we work out all the bugs to see where there is opportunities to provide better service for our customers," says Calibaba.
He says the new technology will make things more convenient for those riders.
"The difference between the two cards is one is calendar based, so if you bought in January mag pass, January 31 that card is no longer valid, you have to buy a new one," says Calibaba. "You have to stand in line, you gotta wait, with the new smart passes, it is a 30 day. It starts the day you tap it on the bus."
He says the change will also give riders more control.
"You can reload it anytime because it is a reloadable card, so if it comes preloaded with 30 days, you want to put another 15 days on there, you can put another 15 days that means you have 45, you want to put 30 days, that means you have 60," says Calibaba.
Transit Windsor hopes to eliminate all magnetic passes and paper tickets, and replace them with smart passes over time.
Calibaba says once this smart pass is implemented for the 60-65 tunnel riders and combo pass riders, the technology will continue to expand to other riders.
The Smart Pass technology is already being used for U-pass university students and corporate passes.