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Long Beach Transit will start charging bus fare starting Sept. 19, transit officials announced today. Similarly, the AquaLink boat ferry will resume collecting fare on Sept. 17.

The cost of a single-rider ticket will be $1.25. Long Beach Transit is offering price reduced day passes for riders, for example, a $4 day pass is currently priced at $3.50 until March 2022. Seniors pay $.60 and certain student groups at CSULB, LBCC and LBUSD are charged reduced bus fare pases, according to Long Beach Transit.

Riders can pay the bus fare using exact change, a TAP card or through the TAP App.

While most businesses and services shut down during the pandemic, riders could still use buses to get around town.

Long Beach Transit stopped collecting fares when it introduced rear-door-boarding as part of COVID-19 safety protocols at the start of the pandemic.

The company’s Fiscal Year 2021 Budget report showed an “astronomical” decrease in ridership in the first half of 2020 due to COVID-19, which led to a total loss of fare in the end of FY 2020.

A graph comparing monthly fare revenue decline from February 2020 through June 2020. Photo courtesy Long Beach Transit Fiscal Year 2021 Budget report.

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