After six weeks, Tulsa's Aero bus rapid transit service is no longer free to ride.
After a six-week trial period, fares went into effect Jan. 2. Tulsa Transit General Manager Ted Rieck said they’re the same as regular bus fares.
"The adult is $1.75 for a one-way trip. It’s a two-hour pass, basically, and would allow people to transfer between bus routes so the timing works out," Rieck said.
Fares can be paid in cash on an Aero bus, or passes are available online, at the Denver Avenue and Midtown Memorial stations, and in select QuikTrip stores. Later this year, Tulsa Transit plans to roll out a mobile fare app that can also be used to ride the bus.
Rieck said he hopes some of the riders that tried out Aero for free stick around, because there were a lot of them.
"From Nov. 17 through the end of the year, we saw about 75,000 riders on the rapid transit, which we think is phenomenal for that service, is probably close to 20 to 50% higher than what it was on the old route," Rieck said.
Tulsa Transit relied on drivers to report rider numbers during the free-to-ride period.
