Savannah, Ga. – Chatham Area Transit plans to resume the collection of fares for fixed-route buses and CAT Mobility services in December, following the installation of tempered glass barriers to protect bus operators from exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The resumption of fares comes after CAT suspended fare collection in March to allow for rear-door boarding and minimize the potential spread of the coronavirus. Now that the barriers are installed and other safely measures are in place, it was determined that front-door boarding and fare collection can be reinstated.
Customers will be able to once again purchase a $1.50 one-trip pass or $3 all-day pass on fixed-route buses using exact change. The fare for CAT Mobility paratransit’s service remains $2 per one-way trip.
Multi-day passes will also be available for purchase via cash, check, debit and credit card at the Joe Murray Rivers, Jr. Intermodal Transit Center, 610 W. Oglethorpe Avenue. In addition, customers will be able to purchases passes using CAT’s online order page at pass.catchacat.org and have the passes sent directly to their home.
Early next year, CAT plans to implement mobile ticketing services so customers can purchase bus passes with their smart phones. While initially conceived as a way to make public transit more user-friendly, mobile ticketing will also help keep users safe by allowing customers to simply show operators their phone to board and minimize cash handling and contact with the fare box.
More information about fares and discounts can be found at http://catchacat.org/fares-passes/.