PAYING FOR TRANSIT LINK TRIPS

Transit Link Logo

FARES

  • Peak fares each way:  $4.50 weekdays from 6-9 a.m. and 3–6:30 p.m.
  • Off-Peak fares each way:  $3.50
  • Holidays: $3.50 on Memorial Day (observed), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, and the following Friday after Thanksgiving Day.
  • A 75-cent surcharge will be assessed for trips longer than 15 miles.
  • Children age 5 and under ride free; up to 4 children can ride free. 
  • If your vehicle arrives more than one hour after the scheduled pickup time, your trip is free.
Passengers may pay fares with cash or a Go-To Card with stored value.  
 

PAYING WITH CASH

Please have the exact fare; Transit Link drivers are unable to make change for security reasons. 
 

TRANSFERS

Please note that an upcharge may apply when transferring from fixed route to  Transit Link.
 

Cash-paying Customers

Customers who travel on multiple vehicles to reach their destination must remember to ask their driver for a transfer when they pay their fare.
  • Your Transit Link transfer may be exchanged for a regular route bus transfer when boarding the bus. 
  • If your trip starts on regular route transit, ask for a transfer or retain your rail ticket.  This transfer must be presented to your Transit Link driver to verify payment.

Go-To Card Customers

If you’re paying with a Go-To Card, the transfer is stored on your card.  Transit Link transfers are valid for the amount paid and for 2 ½ hours.  Additional payment is sometimes necessary to complete a trip.

PAYING WITH A GO-TO CARD

Go-To Logo Go-To Cards & Passes

Check balance/transaction history for Go-To Cards and passes and add value.

 

Get a Go-To Card  |  Find a Go-To Retailer
 

Go-To Card: Electronic Fare Payment

Go-To is an easy, safe, and economical way to pay your Transit Link fare. The Go-To Card works with just one touch to an electronic reader and can be used over and over again. Go-To Cards are accepted on all regional regular-route buses and trains, so no matter where you ride, you can pay your fare with the Go-To Card.

Go-To Cards also offer financial loss protection if you register your card. Once you register your card, simply report the loss and for a small fee, you’ll receive a new card with the value remaining on your original card when it was reported lost or stolen.
 

Purchase a Stored-value Go-To card

You can put up to $400 in stored value on your Go-To card.  Purchase a Go-To card

Find a Go-To Retailer


Add value to Go-To cards online, by phone with the Service Center, at any rail vending machine, or at any Go-To vendor. 


Register your card

Register your card at the Metro Transit website. It’s FREE. You’ll protect your card’s value against loss or theft.  However, you do not need to register your Go-To Card to use it on Transit Link. If your card is lost or stolen, contact the Service Center or go to the online Transit Store as soon as possible. Your card will be deactivated. The dollar balance remaining on your card at the time it was reported lost or stolen will be transferred to a new card. There is a small fee for creating and sending a new card.

Money stored on an unregistered is not refundable if the card is lost. A card replacement fee of $5 may be assessed for lost cards.
 

PAYING YOUR FARE WITH A GO-TO CARD

Go To Card Reader

To pay your fare when you ride the bus, simply touch your card to the Go-To circle on the reader mounted to the handrail pole.

After you touch your card to the Go-To circle, the reader will beep, the screen will display “Go” or “Transfer” and the light will turn green. A yellow light indicates the card’s value is low and you should consider adding value to your card.

A red light with a “Payment Needed” screen means your card does not have enough funds or has been deactivated. In this instance, pay the fare in cash.

If you are transferring to regular-route service, please locate the Go-To Card reader on the regular-route bus or on the rail platforms and tag your card. A transfer will be embedded on your Go-To Card.

NOTE: ONLY Stored Value Go-To cards can be used on Transit Link.  Go-To Lite, 10 Day and 31 Day passes are currently NOT accepted as valid payment.  
  • PHONE 651-602-1111 (TTY 651-221-9886).
  • ON A TRANSIT LINK VEHICLE, BUS OR RAIL TICKET MACHINE the card reader displays the balance each time you touch your card and pay your fare.

Add stored value to your card

  • Online with a credit at the box on the right, “Go-To Cards & Passes.” (It may take up to 24 hours for value to be available to your card.)

  • At more than 125 RETAIL LOCATIONS including Metro Transit stores in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and metro-area Cub Foods stores with cash or credit card. See the list of locations or call 651-602-1111.

  • At a RAIL TICKET MACHINE with cash or credit card.

Auto refill

Never worry about having enough fare on your card again. Sign up for auto refill.

My card is lost or stolen. What do I do?

Contact Metro Transit at 612-373-3333 to deactivate your card and request a replacement. If you received your card from an organization, notify your organization’s program administrator.

My card doesn’t work. What do I do?

Pay your fare in cash and call Metro Transit at 612-373-3333.

Do I need to ask for a transfer if I plan on riding on regular-route service such as light rail?

You do NOT need to ask for a transfer when switching to a different route. Transfers are automatically embedded in your card for the value of your original ride. If you transfer to a route with a higher fare (such as Northstar), your card will cover the difference in fare as long as you have stored value.

If I don’t use the card for a while, will it still work?

Your card will stop working after two years without use. To replace your card, contact Metro Mobility Service Center at 651-602-1111 (TTY 651-221-9886).

Does my card have an expiration date?

Your card automatically expires ten (10) years from the day it has been initialized; any remaining value can be transferred to a new card.

What happens if my Go-To Card doesn’t have enough value to pay the fare?

Let’s say you have $2.50 remaining on your Go-To Card and board a bus with a fare of $3.50. When you touch your card to the reader, it will deduct the fare, leaving the card with a negative balance: $1. When you add value to the card, the $1 you owe will be deducted from the amount added to your card.

Note: Even with a negative balance, a transfer will be embedded on your Go-To Card, so you can complete your trip. After the transfer expires, you will not be able to use your Go-To Card again until you add value.

Contact us 

Transit Link Service Center
390 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55101
651.602.Link (5465)
TTY 651.221.9886
transitlink@metc.state.mn.us