How to pay the bus fare in NYC

Updated October 29, 2026

On almost every New York City bus, you pay by tapping a bank card, phone or OMNY Card on a reader. Here's how tapping, the weekly fare cap and free transfers work, who pays less, and what's left of coins and the MetroCard. Prices and rules are as of October 2026; the MTA's subway and bus fares page has the current figures.

What a bus ride costs

Local, Limited, Rush and Select Bus Service (SBS) buses cost $3, the same as the subway; the fare rose from $2.90 in January 2026. Express buses cost $7.25. One route is free: the Q70-SBS LaGuardia Link to LaGuardia Airport.

Tap with OMNY

OMNY is the MTA's tap-to-pay system, and every MTA bus has a reader. You can tap:

  • A contactless credit or debit card
  • A phone or smartwatch with a card in its digital wallet
  • An OMNY Card, the MTA's own reloadable card

On local, Limited, Rush and express buses, board at the front door and tap the reader by the driver. On most SBS routes you can board at any door and tap the reader there.

After your bank approves the first ride on a new card or device, you can tap it for up to four people per trip.

Getting an OMNY Card

No bank card or phone? Vending machines in every subway station sell and reload OMNY Cards, as do more than 2,700 stores, from pharmacies to bodegas. You can pay with cash.

A new card has a small fee, so check the MTA's OMNY page for the current price; stores sell cards with some fare already loaded. Register the card on omny.info to reload online and protect the balance if it's lost.

The weekly fare cap

When you tap with the same card or device, OMNY stops charging you once you've paid $35 in a seven-day period for subway and local bus rides, which is roughly 12 paid rides. The rest of your rides in that period are free. The MTA's fare capping page has the fine print.

  • Your first tap starts a seven-day period. When it ends, your next tap starts a new one.
  • Use one payment method every time. If you pay with a phone or watch, use that same device with the same card in its wallet, rather than switching between the phone and the plastic card.
  • The cap is $17.50 for Reduced-Fare riders.
  • If you also take express buses, subway, local and express rides together are capped at $67 per seven days.
  • Free transfers and fares you pay for other people don't count toward your cap.

Free transfers

Each fare comes with one free transfer within two hours of paying: bus to subway, subway to bus, or bus to bus. You can't use a bus-to-bus transfer to ride back the other way on the same route. Tap the same card or device on both legs and the transfer is automatic.

  • From a local bus or the subway to an express bus, you pay the difference between the two fares.
  • From an express bus to a local bus or the subway, the transfer is free.
  • If you pay with coins, ask the driver for a paper transfer as you board.
  • The $3.50 Single-Ride ticket sold at station machines lasts two hours and includes a bus-to-bus transfer, but not a bus-to-subway one.

Reduced fares and free rides

Seniors and people with disabilities

If you're 65 or older or have a qualifying disability, you pay half fare: $1.50 on local, Limited and SBS buses and the subway. On express buses it's $3.60, except weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Enroll in the MTA's Reduced-Fare program to get a Reduced-Fare OMNY Card, either in person at an MTA customer service center or by mail, which can take up to three months.

Children

Up to three children 44 inches tall or shorter ride free with each paying adult on local, Limited, Rush and SBS buses and the subway. On express buses, only children under 2 on an adult's lap ride free.

Students and Fair Fares

Eligible K-12 students get a Student OMNY Card through their school, good for up to four free trips a day. New Yorkers aged 18 to 64 with low incomes may qualify for Fair Fares NYC, a city program that cuts subway and eligible bus fares in half.

Can you still pay with coins?

Yes, for now. Local, Limited and Rush buses still take exact fare in coins at the farebox. On most SBS routes, you put coins into the ticket machine at the stop before boarding and keep the paper receipt. Bills, pennies and half-dollars aren't accepted, and no change is given. Express buses don't take cash.

The MTA has said cash and MetroCard will stop being accepted on buses at the same time, on a date it hasn't announced yet. After that, you can still put cash on an OMNY Card at station machines and stores.

What happened to the MetroCard

Since January 1, 2026, you can't buy or refill a MetroCard. Cards you already have still work until their value runs out, the card expires, or the MTA stops accepting them. Value on an expired card can be moved to OMNY at an MTA customer service center. You can also move leftover value onto an OMNY Card at an MTA customer service center; see the MTA's MetroCard page.

Express buses and Select Bus Service

Express buses have a higher fare and their own cap; our express bus guide covers them. On SBS you tap at whichever door you use or pay at the stop, and you need to be able to show you paid; our SBS guide explains how.

Once you know how you'll pay, check when your bus is due from the route list, and glance at service alerts before you head out.

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