Winnipeg Transit buses will no longer accept pennies or bills. The new policy is part of the first phase of a comprehensive fare collection system replacement project.
In the coming weeks, Transit will begin replacing the old manual fareboxes on all buses with new, state-of-the-art, electronic fareboxes. The new boxes will not accept pennies or paper banknotes. Only Canadian or US coins of at least a nickel or higher denomination will be accepted. Coins will be validated and counted as they are dropped through the coin slot, while payment information will be presented visually on a display screen that is mounted on the top of the farebox. Customers are also reminded that operators do not carry or make change.
Phase two of the fare collection system, expected to be completed in late 2013, includes the introduction of new “Smartcard” technology that will replace tickets and paper passes.
