We’ve officially installed our new, smarter fareboxes aboard all Muni buses. We are seeing continuously improving performance while the vehicles are in service and will now move to the rail fleet to complete full system implementation.
As you may have noticed, the new fare machines will print transaction details on tickets, which will help us keep better track of fare payments and understand how people use Muni. This more secure transaction method will also prevent the theft of Muni transfers and will help keep operators safe.
You may have remembered our old transfer-issuing process (it wasn’t that long ago). The new tickets won’t be issued by our operators, but instead, the fare boxes will print a paper Muni ticket with an allotted 90-minutes for a transfer limit.
So, what’s new about using Muni’s new fareboxes? Some of you may have the gist of it already, but here’s everything you need to know:
How to Use the New Muni Fareboxes
1. State your fare: Before you pay, tell the operator if you’re buying any fare that’s different from the regular adult fare (youth, senior, person with disabilities or a group purchase). This lets the operator know to adjust the rate on the farebox.
2. Insert exact fare amount: Just like the old fareboxes, feed dollar bills into the top slot, face up or down. Drop coins into the slot below (anything from pennies to dollar coins).
If you pay less than the full fare amount, you will receive a receipt that shows the amount paid, but it is not a valid ticket and you may receive a citation.
3. Take your ticket: As always, hold on to your ticket as proof of payment for the duration of your Muni trip.
Transfer and Proof of Payment Rules Stay the Same
Just like the old pre-printed, tear-off transfers, this new ticket will be your proof of payment, so hold on to it – whether you’re only riding one route or transferring to another.
Muni’s transfer policies will remain the same: single-ride fares provide a 90-minute window to travel, and late-night tickets issued after 8:30 p.m. are good until 5 a.m. the following morning on all Muni vehicles except cable cars.
When you feed exact change into the new fareboxes, they will print a paper Muni transfer ticket stamped with the time of purchase, type of fare and amount you paid, your Muni route and the time the ticket expires.
The maker of Muni’s old fareboxes, Cubic, is not in the farebox business anymore. And with a quarter century of service, the machines are pretty mature. These new fareboxes are perfectly coordinated with our new buses, and other technological features that have made your ride more convenient—like the MuniMobile app and Clipper cards.
Last summer, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved a contract to install new fareboxes from Genfare, an industry leader that provides fare solutions for 80 percent of the transit market in the United States. Genfare has proven to be a responsive partner addressing the rollout of our new fareboxes.
Another plus? We’ll be featuring the winners of Muni Art 2018 on our new Muni transfer tickets.
Let us know what you think about the new fareboxes in the comments below.