Roy Medrano shows his day pass as he rides the CapMetro bus in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Nathaniel Richardson II rides the bus to work every day.
He’s done his fair share of driving over the years. But now, he would rather watch the trees pass by through the window — one of the few quiet moments in a typical day.
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Edward Cárdenas rides the CapMetro bus in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
People wait for their CapMetro bus off Pleasant Valley Road in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Roy Medrano rides the CapMetro bus in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Sunlight streams onto empty seats as a CapMetro bus travels in downtown Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
A farebox is seen on a CapMetro bus as it travels down Riverside Drive in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Capital Metro’s No. 20 bus takes him straight to his job at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where he washes dishes at one of the restaurants in the terminal. When he boards, he feeds two dollar bills and two quarters into the farebox, and a glossy paper ticket pops out.
That day pass is good for 24 hours, getting him to work and back — and sometimes to work again the next day, depending on his shifts.
But Richardson will soon have to change that routine if he wants to keep riding the bus.
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CapMetro is eliminating paper passes as it replaces fareboxes across its bus fleet, part of a broader push to modernize fare collection and move riders toward apps, reloadable cards and tap-to-pay. The change, scheduled to roll out in 2026, will end the paper day passes Richardson relies on.
Transit agencies across the country are making similar shifts, replacing cash-based fare systems with digital ones to speed boarding and reduce maintenance costs. (Some systems have gone further, eliminating bus fares altogether or piloting fare-free routes.) But the move has also sparked concerns nationally about access for riders who rely on cash.
Nathaniel Richardson rides a CapMetro bus down Riverside Drive in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
CapMetro’s new fareboxes — the silver machines next to the driver — will still accept cash but won’t print tickets. Instead, the agency is moving toward an account-based system, where riders scan a phone app or tap a card to pay. The agency also plans to introduce tap-to-pay with credit and debit cards in the spring.
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According to CapMetro Chief Experience and Engagement Officer Samantha Baez, the move upgrades fareboxes that are nearly 20 years old and simplifies the fare structure, shifting from time-based passes to pay-as-you-go “fare capping.”
“The way we designed it was to make sure that everyone paid what they should be paying, and hopefully no more,” Baez said.
Riders using an app or reloadable card won’t pay more than $2.50 per day or $41.25 per month on local buses, or $7 per day or $96.25 per month on commuter buses and rail. Once they reach the cap, additional rides are free.
Cash-paying riders, however, must pay for each trip individually and won’t receive those savings.
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A farebox, left, and digital payment system, right, are seen on a CapMetro bus as it travels down Riverside Drive in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
In December 2024, CapMetro’s board unanimously approved a $6.3 million contract with Genfare LLC to replace the fareboxes. Baez said the agency could have chosen equipment that still printed day passes but opted not to because of higher maintenance costs and a shift in fare strategy.
“It was a strategic decision,” Baez said. “You’re committing to 20 years of maintenance on this piece of equipment.”
Baez said a federally required equity analysis found the change would not disproportionately affect low-income or minority riders. About 3% of trips — roughly 771,000 annually — will be affected, based on CapMetro’s 25.7 million yearly rides.
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But Jacob Wasserman, a research program manager at UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies, said people of color are far more likely to be cash-only transit riders.
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., 6.5% of Texas households were unbanked in 2023. The rates were higher among people of color: 12.2% of Hispanic households and 8.3% of Black households, compared with 2.2% of white households.
“Given the demographic skew of transit riders in the U.S., this kind of change is going to disproportionately affect riders of color and low-income riders who don’t necessarily have a bank account,” Wasserman said.
Women wait at the CapMetro bus stop off Pleasant Valley Road in Austin, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Baez acknowledged a “significant amount” of riders still use day passes and said the change “is significant for the folks who are using it.” She encourages those riders to download the Umo app or purchase a reloadable card at retailers such as H-E-B or 7-Eleven.
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“The easiest and most seamless transition will be to go to Umo,” Baez said.
Richardson plans to do just that, even if it takes some adjustment.
“I’m not good with technology, so the old-school stuff works,” he said. “But whatever I’ve got to do to get to work, I’m going to do it. I’ve got a 9-year-old son I’ve got to take care of.”
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