Penn Bus riders will notice a new boarding procedure this semester. “Tap to Ride” has soft-launched on Penn Transit buses traveling the East, West, and North routes.
Upon boarding, instead of merely showing their PennCard to the driver, riders will tap it to the blue card reader mounted on the dashboard. A valid PennCard will prompt the card reader to light up and emit a short sound, alerting the driver that the passenger is a member of the Penn community who may ride.
All Penn Transit trips remain free with a valid PennCard—no payment is required. Only the boarding process has changed. Tap to Ride is expected to:
- Alleviate the need for drivers to inspect individual IDs, speeding the boarding process.
- Allow the Penn Transit team to comprehensively understand ridership patterns and better support the Penn community.
Click here for Tap to Ride details and FAQs. Email Transit@upenn.edu with questions.