MST fares

Cash, GoPasses, and GoCards

MST fares are based on route length, with longer routes charging higher fares even if you are only riding part of the way. If you are not eligible for a Discount fare, it may be cheaper to use Contactless Payment.

	Local Routes and Senior/Veteran Shuttles	Primary Routes	Regional Routes	Commuter Routes
Regular	$1.50	$2.50	$3.50	$12.00
Discount	$0.75	$1.25	$1.75	$6.00

Discount fares are available for:

• Youth (18 years and under)
• Seniors (65 years and older)
• Individuals with disabilities
• Medicare cardholders
• Veterans and their spouses/caregivers

Proof of age, an MST (or other transit system) Courtesy Card, or Medicare card is required upon boarding. Courtesy Cards are available at no charge to seniors and those with disabilities, but require an application processed at an MST customer service location.

MST does not issue transfers.

Paying with cash

Insert cash into the farebox. MST fareboxes do not give change, but instead issue a "fare credit" card for use on future trips. To use the card, insert it into the slot on the top-left of the farebox, with the front of the card facing you. An updated balance will be printed on the card each time.

GoCards

GoCards are reloadable, "stored-value" cards to use instead of cash. They can be purchased and reloaded at MST customer service centers, and purchased (but not reloaded) at mst.org. Cards must be (re)loaded in $10 increments and come with a 10% bonus (that is, for every $10 you pay, your card is loaded with $11). They do not expire but are non-refundable.

To use a GoCard, tap it on the farebox just below the screen.

GoPasses

GoPasses are MST's daily, weekly, monthly passes. Day Passes are purchased on board buses and expire at 11:59 PM. All other passes must be purchased in advance from pass outlets, and expire 7 or 31 days from their first use. (Note that Costco locations require membership and only carry the 31-Day Basic GoPass, but sell it for $69.99 instead of $95.)

The first time you use a GoPass, insert it into the slot on the top-left of the farebox, with the front of the pass facing you. This activates the pass and prints the expiration date and time on the back. On future trips, you can either insert the pass again or swipe it through the slot on the top-right of the farebox.

	Regular	Discount	Route Upcharge
31-Day Super	$190	$95	--
31-Day Basic	$95	$47	Regional: $1 ($0.50 discount) Commuter: $9.50 ($4.75 discount)
7-Day Super	$50	$25	--
7-Day Basic	$25	$12	Regional: $1 ($0.50 discount) Commuter: $9.50 ($4.75 discount)
Day Pass	$10	$5	Commuter: $2 ($1 discount)
Summer Youth	--	$38	--

Summer Youth passes are available only to youth age 18 and under, and are valid for one summer, June 1 through August 31.

Group discounts are available for orders of at least five passes.

Military passes are available to active duty service members, DOD employees and NAF employees who commute to the Presidio of Monterey, Naval Postgraduate School, or Fort Hunter Liggett.

Contactless Payment

Contactless fares are based on how far you ride (and measured "as the crow flies"). Currently, only Regular adult fares are supported. To pay a Discount fare you must use cash, a GoPass, and/or a GoCard. MST accepts Visa and Mastercard contactless cards as well as the mobile wallets Apple Pay, Fitbit Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Trip Length	Regular
Up to 2.7 miles	$1.50
2.7–14 miles	$2.50
14–50 miles	$3.50
50–77 miles	$7.00
77 miles or more	$10.00

Using contactless payment

There is a black-and-yellow contactless payment reader at the front door of each bus. When you get on, "tap in" by tapping your card or device to the contactless symbol below the screen. Wait for the green "Go!" and checkmark on the screen. When you reach your stop, "tap out" with the same card or device so the system knows how far you have traveled; otherwise you may be overcharged.

There are no readers at the rear doors. When using contactless payment, you must exit from the front door to "tap out."

You cannot use the same card or device for more than one person at a time.

Fare capping

Fare capping limits how much you can be charged per day, week, or month — effectively giving you an automatic upgrade to a 1-, 7-, or 31-day pass once you have met its cost. (This amount is tracked per card or device, so make sure not to switch between cards/devices.)

Fare Capping Period	Maximum Total Regular Fare
1 day	$10
7 days	$50
31 days	$95

Inter-agency fare arrangements

Santa Cruz METRO

• MST and METRO both issue free transfers upon request for riders who are connecting at Watsonville Transit Center or Santa Cruz METRO Center.
• Ask the driver for a transfer when you board the first bus. Transfers are not issued when getting off.
• MST-to-METRO transfers are valid for one ride on any METRO line except the Highway 17 Express.
• METRO-to-MST transfers are valid for one ride on MST lines 27, 28, 29, or 78.
• Neither MST nor METRO honor each other's passes or stored-value cards.

Santa Clara VTA

• MST 7- and 31-Day Super GoPasses (including Military passes) are accepted by VTA for fare credit on light rail and local buses. $2 surcharge is required for express routes.
• VTA Express daily/Eco passes are accepted by MST for unlimited travel on all routes.
• VTA Local daily/monthly passes and the Youth Summer Blast Pass are accepted by MST for a $2.50 fare credit. MST does not accept the Local Eco pass.
• MST does not accept the Clipper card.

Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) | Bus routes | Fares | Maps