Fares

Tapp Pay is here so you can start saving TODAY! Tapp Pay ensures you pay no more than the max daily and monthly rate (within a 31-day rolling period), which means you get to hold onto your money longer.

With Tapp Pay, bus passes are a thing of the past. You have one of two options when boarding. Either use your Tapp Pay smartphone or smartcard account, and start saving today. When boarding scan the mobile barcode on your phone or tap your smartcard on the payment reader. Make sure to scan or tap every time you board to ensure you always get the best value!

Right now, RTA is providing promotional rates for all Tapp Pay customers using either their smartphone or smartcard account:

Fares

Per Boarding

Daily Max

Monthly Max

Older Adults (65+) and persons with a disability will receive a reduced rate. In order to obtain and pay the reduced rate, individuals are required to provide proof of eligibility, which may include a valid RTA ID card or Medicare card. 

Children age 12 and under, and 60 inches tall and under who must be accompanied by a paying parent, guardian or teacher. Children age 12 and under but over 60 inches tall are required to provide proof of age, which may include a valid RTA issued youth identification card or state issued ID card.

Police officers, fire officers and plain-clothes detectives of any jurisdiction served by the RTA – Officers must present their badge to receive free transportation.

IMPORTANT: Eligible reduced and paratransit customers when receiving their smartcards and/or loading value to their accounts at a payment kiosk should select “reduced” or “paratransit” to ensure this rate is deducted when boarding. Smartcard customers can also mark their account for reduced or paratransit rates within the Tapp Pay Hub. For Tapp Pay mobile customers, this reduced and paratransit rates can be selected within the app.

To obtain an RTA ID card for use of reduced payments visit:

Wright Stop Plaza Lobby

4 S. Main Street
Dayton, OH 45402
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

For more information, call 937-425-8444.

No Charge Fares

The following persons will be carried on regular scheduled RTA services at no charge:

Children age 12 and under, and 60 inches tall and under who must be accompanied by a paying parent, guardian or teacher. Children age 12 and under but over 60 inches tall are required to provide proof of age, which may include a valid RTA issued youth identification card or state issued ID card.
Police officers, fire officers and plain-clothes detectives of any jurisdiction served by the RTA – Officers must present their badge to receive free transportation.

Tapp Pay - OPTION #1

Pay With Your Phone

To get started, download Transit app onto your smartphone by visiting the App Store or Google Play and open the app. 

How to Pay With Your Phone
Click here for instructions.

How to Load Value on Your Phone

Within the Transit app with a debit or credit card.
Payment kiosks are located at every RTA transit center. All RTA payment kiosks accept with debit or credit card. At the Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center, the payment kiosks also accept cash.

Eastown Transit Center
1218 Falke Dr. (in Eastown Shopping Center)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 253-0461
Routes: 2, 3, 4, 11, 23, 66

Northwest Transit Center
2075 Shiloh Springs Rd.
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 837-1636
Routes: 2, 8, 9, 14, 24, 34, 40

South Transit Center
2730 Lyons Rd. (behind the Dayton Mall)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 432-6788
Routes: 17, 19, 23, 24, 42, 60, 61 and X5

Westown Transit Center
122 Elmhurst Dr. (Westown Shopping Center)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 268-1645
Routes: 1, 4, 8, 9, 24, 41

Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center
4 S. Main St. (downtown Dayton)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 425-8334

A minimum $3.00 is required for all transactions but 100% of that is loaded to your account.

At a retail location. You can visit these locations and provide cash as payment, which will be 100% converted and loaded to your Tapp Pay account. Simply tell the person at the register that “you want to make a Vanilla Direct Payment”, they will then scan the barcode within the Transit app, and you’re good to go.
Over 200 locations are located within close proximity to bus routes. To find the most up to date locations visit: https://pay.vanilladirect.com/pages/locations, and search by city for closest location. Common retail outlets include Family Dollar, Dollar General, CVS Pharmacy, 7 Eleven, Speedway, and Walgreens.

How to Check My Account Balance

You should keep a positive account balance and be sure to check on your balance regularly. You can do this at any payment kiosk or via the Transit App.

Tapp Pay - OPTION #2

Pay With a Smartcard (Tapp Pay card)

Don’t forget to KEEP YOUR CARD to ensure you always get the best value!  

If you are using a smartcard we encourage you to create a personalized account. All you need is a valid email address and create a password, then you’re good to go. For creating a smartcard account within the Tapp Pay Hub visit: www.iriderta.org/tapp-payhub.

Benefits of creating a personalized account include:

Ability to shut down account if card is lost or stolen.
Receive benefits, incentives and promotions.

How to Pay With Your Smartcard- Go to Tapp Pay for instructions

How to Load Value to Your Smartcard

Payment kiosks are located at every RTA transit center. All RTA payment kiosks accept with debit or credit card. At the Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center, the payment kiosks also accept cash.

Eastown Transit Center
1218 Falke Dr. (in Eastown Shopping Center)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 253-0461
Routes: 2, 3, 4, 11, 23, 66

Northwest Transit Center
2075 Shiloh Springs Rd.
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 837-1636
Routes: 2, 8, 9, 14, 24, 34, 40

South Transit Center
2730 Lyons Rd. (behind the Dayton Mall)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 432-6788
Routes: 17, 19, 23, 24, 42, 60, 61 and X5

Westown Transit Center
122 Elmhurst Dr. (Westown Shopping Center)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 268-1645
Routes: 1, 4, 8, 9, 24, 41

Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center
4 S. Main St. (downtown Dayton)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 425-8334

At a retail location. You can visit these locations and provide cash as payment which will be 100% converted and loaded to your Tapp Pay account. Simply tell the person at the register that “you want to make a Vanilla Direct Payment”, they will then scan the barcode on the back of your card, and you’re good to go.
Over 200 locations are located within close proximity to bus routes. To find the most up to date locations visit: https://pay.vanilladirect.com/pages/locations, and search by city for closest location. Common retail outlets include Family Dollar, Dollar General, CVS Pharmacy, 7 Eleven, Speedway, and Walgreens.

Tapp Pay Hub at www.iriderta.org/tapp-payhub. After creating an account, you can load value with a debit or credit card.

How to Check My Account Balance

You should keep a positive account balance and be sure to check on your balance regularly. You can do this at any payment kiosk or online via the Tapp Pay Hub.
 

Other Passes

Beginning April 6, 2021 RTA will no longer sell passes to the general public from its sales outlet at Wright Stop Plaza, non-Tapp Pay ticket-vending machines or retail outlets. Existing and unused passes or tickets purchased previously through these locations will still be accepted on-board the vehicle as valid payment.

Official and valid passes entitle the purchaser to unlimited trips during the period indicated on the back of the pass (up until 3:59 AM on the day following the pass’s expiration date) on any scheduled bus route. A single route trip on bus routes or Connect Paratransit entitles a customer to a one-way trip, in one direction until de-boarding. Passes may be visually inspected, swiped or inserted on the fare box upon boarding the vehicle.

RTA will continue to supply to eligible organizations, Tapp Pay passes through our bulk-purchase program. For more information on the program, eligibility and passes available please call 937-425-8465.

RTA assumes no responsibility for lost or stolen cards. For more information on Tapp Pay Terms & Conditions click here.
 

You can use CASH with Tapp Pay!

RTA has partnered with Vanilla Direct to provide dozens of store locations where you can conveniently add funds to your account via cash. Simply head to the register, tell them you want to make a Vanilla Direct payment, provide in cash the value you want to add (min $1, max $200) and they will scan the barcode on your Tapp Pay card or Tapp Pay account in Transit app to add funds. No fees or taxes–100% of your funds will go to your Tapp Pay account. For a complete list of locations nearest you, click here.

Load fare onto your account using Transit and Tapp Pay—now with your cash! You can also use the payment kiosk at Wright Stop Plaza to turn cash into funds on your Tapp Pay card or Transit app.

Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center
4 S. Main St. (downtown Dayton)
5:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone: 937-425-8334

Tapp Pay Outlet Locations

There are several locations in Dayton where you can add funds thanks to RTA’s partnership with T-Cetra:

These locations accept cash only.

View these locations on an interactive map HERE.