We at the Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) are committed to providing reliable and affordable transit services to our community. In our efforts to maintain the level of service you expect from us, we have carefully reviewed our fare system. Effective July 7th, 2024, we will implement changes to our fare structure.
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The standard adult base fare will be adjusted from $1.50 to $2.00. Additionally, the reduced fare option for eligible passengers will increase from $0.75 to $1.00, equivalent to half of the base fare. These adjustments will apply across all fare categories for GCTD’s bus service, as well as our flexible services, including the GO ACCESS service and the Late Night Safe Rides Program.
Our decision to adjust fares comes after careful consideration and extensive community input. We have not updated our fares in over a decade, and this adjustment is necessary to ensure that we can continue to provide the level of service our community deserves. By implementing these changes, we can strike a balance between keeping fares affordable for our riders and maintaining the reliability of our transit services.
GCTD provides essential transit services that meet the needs of our community. We understand that our services are an essential lifeline for many, Serving, Moving, and Connecting People to Opportunity - One Ride at a Time. While our services are primarily government-funded, fares make up roughly 15% of our annual operating budget and is vital to ensuring GCTD can continue delivering quality service.
Here are the key reasons behind a fare structure adjustment:
We understand that any changes to our fare system can have a significant impact on our riders. That's why we made it a priority to involve the community in the decision-making process. We conducted a public comment period, engaged in public outreach efforts, and gathered feedback through surveys. After reviewing the findings and recommendations, our Board of Directors unanimously approved the fare adjustments at the April meeting.
Below is a recap of the meetings previously held by GCTD as part of the public outreach and engagement process:
While our services are primarily government-funded, fares make up roughly 15% of our annual operating budget. Higher fares will help us keep up with rising operational costs without cutting or reducing any of GCTD’s current service. Scaling back our services could involve reducing bus operating hours, frequency, and, in some instances, eliminating routes altogether.
GCTD fares have remained unchanged since 2011.
The table below shows the updated prices for bus tickets, including cash fares, pre-paid tickets, and passes. These new fares will be in effect starting July 7, 2024.
The table below displays the updated prices for flexible services such as GO Now, GO ACCESS, and Late Night Safe Rides. These new fares will come into effect on July 7, 2024.
GCTD will continue to provide reduced fares to eligible groups, including Seniors aged 65 and over, Veterans, Medicare/Social Security Insurance recipients, and individuals with disabilities. These reduced fares will offer a discount of half off the newly adjusted fare increase. For a complete overview of the new discounted fare prices, please review the graph below.
To see if you qualify for GCTD’s reduced fare please visit: https://www.gctd.org/fares-rider-guide/fares/
Yes, youth (18 and under), Seniors 75+, and college students will continue to ride the bus for free.
To learn more about these programs, please visit: https://www.gctd.org/fares-rider-guide/fares/
The Youth Ride Free and College Ride Free Programs are funded through California’s Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP), a grant acquired and managed by the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC). Under these programs, GCTD receives full reimbursement for individuals aged 18 or younger or students enrolled at eligible schools. Currently, Youth Ride Free accounts for approximately one-third ridership and serves as a central component of GCTD’s revenue.
To learn more about Youth Ride Free visit here, or click here to learn more about the College Ride Free Program.
All tickets purchased before July 7, 2024, will continue to be accepted and valid until used.
You have several options for paying your fares. Please refer to the chart below to explore the different payment methods available.
To learn more about these forms of fare payments please visit: https://www.gctd.org/fares-rider-guide/fares/mobile-passes/
The VCbuspass 31-day pass for Zone 1 will not be affected by the fare adjustment; passes will continue to cost $50. This pass offers unlimited rides for 31 consecutive days starting from the first day of use.
For fares paid using VCbuspass' stored value, a 10% discount will be applied automatically to your payment.
For more information about the VCbuspass please visit https://www.goventura.org/vcbuspass/.
Pay-As-You-Go (fare capping) allows riders to ride for free after they have paid the equivalent of a daily or monthly pass when using the Token Transit Mobile App. Meaning, if a rider cannot pay the upfront cost of a qualifying pass (i.e. $50.00), they will still receive the benefit of the discount from a prepaid pass once the cap is met. Each time a pass is activated, the Token Transit system scans the passenger’s history to see if the capping applies. If capping applies, the rider will receive the upgraded pass for the remaining amount of time sent directly to their app.
You can find additional information on GCTD's fare capping here: https://www.gctd.org/fares-rider-guide/fares/mobile-passes/
Eligible Passes
Passes eligible for fare capping are all GCTD time-based passes including, 1 Ride (2hr pass), Day Pass and 31 Day Pass. There is no beginning of a single fare capping window, Token Transit checks fare capping over every possible window.
Remaining Money
When a passenger is $1 over the dollar value of pass activations needed to be fare capped, the passenger will be refunded the $1 back to the payment method used and the refund will show on the agency transfer reports as “fare capped.”
15-Ride Pass
Multi-ride passes are not eligible to be included in fare capping. These passes have no expiration date and may be used by more than one person at a time.
To learn more about GCTD’s fare capping visit here: https://www.gctd.org/fares-rider-guide/fares/mobile-passes/
You have several options for paying your fares. Please refer to the chart below to explore the different payment methods available.
If a rider cannot pay the upfront cost of a qualifying pass (i.e. $50.00), they will still receive the benefit of the discount from a prepaid pass once the cap is met. Frequent riders will benefit the most. The more you ride, the more you save!
To learn more about GCTD’s fare capping visit here: https://www.gctd.org/fares-rider-guide/fares/mobile-passes/
Resources
A bilingual printable copy of the survey can be found here.
Learn more about our proposal and Tell us what's fare! Download our bilingual poster infographics here.
Learn more about or survey results by reviewing our snapshot here.
Contact us to learn more about these changes:
Comments on webform: customerservice@gctd.org or call: 805-487-4222