BG Transit is rolling out a mobile bus pass app

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The local public transit is announcing a new app that will make bus fairs simpler for riders to purchase.

With so many things going mobile and online, bus passes have been purchased using cash for many years.

But now, that is changing.

Go BG Transit is rolling out an app called Token Transit.

This app will allow passengers to purchase bus passes online using a debit or credit card.

Passengers will then show the pass to the bus driver on their phone and can even store bus passes for later according to Steven Beck, the transit manager for the city of Bowling Green.

“The buses as you know are smaller and it’s close quarters but this allows the passengers to walk onto the bus take their phone and show the driver from a safe distance and the driver says, ‘OK great,’ and they go sit down. There’s no scanning of the pass. There’s no, the driver doesn’t need to touch the phone,” said Beck.

Mobile passes will allow people to avoid touching cash and coins during the pandemic and make it more convenient for people who don’t typically carry cash.

Betsy Kennedy said she rides the bus all the time and loves the idea of paying via mobile app instead of cash.

“Money is dirty anyway and with the virus it makes it more iffy about exchanging money. I think it’ll help a lot. I mean, I use the bus quite a bit so I would use it. I would use the app,” said Kennedy.

But don’t worry, if you still prefer to pay with cash, that is still an option.

“The Title VI policies that are still out there in the world require us to still use a cash option. They’ll still be able to use cash on the bus. They’ll still be able to buy their pass as they want to. This is just another options that allows them to purchase a pass and have it on their phone,” said Beck.

The app goes live for Go BG Transit on Monday.