What is a TAP Card?
TAP is a durable reusable plastic card that works as your bus pass. Load your TAP card with Stored Value (good on any transit agency) or with one of our many pass options for fast and seamless travel throughout Los Angeles County. Simply tap your card on the mobile validator as you enter the bus and look for the green screen to verify that your card is valid. You are now ready to board the bus!
Get started
Regular fare riders can purchase TAP cards and/or load fares at these locations:
- Online at taptogo.net.
- By phone at 866.TAPTOGO (866.827.8646).
- At one of nearly 400 TAP vendor locations (check taptogo.net for a location near you).
- At TAP vending machines located at all Metro Rail Stations.
- At Blue: The Transit Store, at 1444 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 inside the GoSaMo Center.
- If you qualify as a Senior, Disabled or Medicare rider, you can buy fares at a discounted rate, but you'll need a special TAP card. For details and applications, visit taptogo.net.
TAP Reduced Fare Office
One Gateway Plaza
Mail Stop 99-PL-4
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952
Fares available on TAP
- All Regular Big Blue Bus passes:
- Day Pass
- 7-Day Pass
- 13 Rides Pass
- 30-Day Pass
- Annual Pass
- EZ transit pass is a monthly-calendar pass that is loaded on your TAP card. It is good for local travel on 24 transit agencies, including Big Blue Bus.
- Stored Value is a pay-per-ride option and is the most flexible way to pay your Big Blue Bus or other TAP participating agency fare. When you tap your card, the correct single-ride or transfer fare will be automatically deducted.
TAP Customer Service
Big Blue Bus will do
its best to assist customers with TAP inquiries. For specific card inquiries,
such as checking the status of a reduced fare TAP card, checking the balance of
your card, reporting a lost card, etc., please call the TAP Customer Service Center at 866.TAPTOGO (866.827.8646).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the benefits of TAP?
Where is my TAP card accepted?
Can I use my TAP card for Interagency Transfers?
How much does the TAP card cost?
How do I use TAP on board your bus?
Can I allow others to use my TAP card?
I am a Metro Annual Pass holder, does that include my fare on Big Blue Bus?
How do I pay my fare if the TAP validator is missing or out of order?
Questions about reduced fare programs for Seniors, Disabled Persons, and Students
How do I get a Senior or Person with Disability Reduced Fare TAP card?
Do K-12 students receive discounts with TAP?
Do college students receive discounts with TAP?
TAP offers convenience and security. Its smart chip technology allows
for Balance Protection (at no cost to you) and the ability to load your card
online to expedite boarding time. TAP makes it easier to connect and transfer with other
municipal transit systems.
TAP cards are accepted
on all 24 TAP-participating transit agencies in Los Angeles County with appropriate passes or Stored
Value loaded on them. TAP cards can hold up to eight different types of agency
and zone passes, transfers, and Stored Value to make travel easy throughout the
greater Los Angeles area.
Your TAP
card can be used for transfers between Metro Rail, Metro Bus, Big Blue Bus, or other municipal bus lines. Please
visit our Interagency Transfers page for details.
Please note: Big Blue
Bus does not accept transfers from one Big Blue Bus to another Big Blue Bus.
A regular fare TAP
card costs $2. Reduced-fare TAP cards (available for seniors, students, persons with disabilities) are
provided at no cost; however, you must
apply for the card in advance. If you lose the card (and have not set up
Balance Protection) you will have to pay for a new card.
Once your card is loaded, simply tap your card on the bus
validator/farebox or station turnstile. A "beep" and "GO" message
will show your card is valid. You are now free to board the bus or train. If
your card reads "NO $/Pass" on board the bus, or "Please add value or
pass" at a validator or turnstile, please load Stored Value or the
appropriate transit agency pass to the card.
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TAP cards are specific to each user. Each customer must have their own TAP card. Cards are non-transferable.
The Annual Pass on a
TAP card is only valid on LA Metro Bus and Rail. Annual Pass holders who wish
to ride on Big Blue Bus must pay their fare by adding Stored Value, a Big Blue Bus pass, or an EZ
transit pass (plus zones, if applicable) to their Annual Pass on TAP.
This happens occasionally and we truly apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you. In these instances, please pay your fare using cash.
Senior and disabled customers are only able to receive discounts on TAP with a special personalized reduced-fare card. These TAP cards designed for Seniors and Disabled customers can be loaded with both Big Blue Bus passes and Stored Value. If you choose to use Stored Value to ride Big Blue Bus or any other TAP participating agency, the reduced rate will automatically be deducted from your TAP card.
You can apply for a Reduced Fare TAP card in the following ways:
- In Person:
- Blue: The Transit Store (Santa Monica) - Eligible applicants may visit Blue: The Transit Store during the following regular business hours, to submit their completed Senior TAP Card application, along with the required documents (see below):
Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Every Other Friday: 12pm - 4pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Paper applications are also available at this location. Please note that Reduced Fare TAP Card applications for Persons with Disabilities are not accepted this location.
- Metro Customer Center (Los Angeles) - Eligible applicants may visit a Metro Customer Center, to submit their completed Senior TAP Card or Person with Disability TAP Card application, along with the required documents (see below). Please call at 866.TAPTOGO (866.827.8646) for information on Metro Customer Center locations and operating hours.
- By Mail:
- Mail your completed application, along with the required documents, to:
TAP Reduced Fare Office
One Gateway Plaza
Mail Stop 99-PL-4
Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952
Required Documents for Senior & Person with Disability TAP Cards:
- Current full-face photo
- Color photo (no black/white);
- No hats or sunglasses;
- Upload a digital photo (JPG file format, maximum size 2Mb); OR
- Attach a 2" × 2" or 1" × 1¼" "passport style" photo to the printed application when applying by mail or in person. Passport style photos are available at: CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, UPS Stores and Fed Ex Stores, as well as at many small mailbox and copy retailers.
- Official photo ID (provide one of the following)
- California ID card; OR
- California driver's license; OR
- Passport
- Proof of disability (only required when applying for a Person with Disability TAP Card)
- Medicare card (Medi-Cal card is not accepted); OR
- Valid California DMV Placard receipt (must show "valid through" date); OR
- Disabled Veterans ID (service connected); OR
- Proof of student enrollment in a LA County special education program (official letter certified by the special education teacher); OR
- Proof of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits (provide one of the following): Letter of benefit award; OR Letter of benefit adjustment; OR Benefit check
Your Reduced Fare TAP card will be mailed to you, and may take up to 12 weeks to arrive.
Yes, students (K-12) are
eligible for a discounted 30-Day Pass on Big Blue Bus, as well as discounted passes and
single-ride trips on Metro, with use of a Student TAP card.
You can apply for a Student
TAP card online, or you can
pick up an application from the Big Blue Bus Transit Store and submit it to the Metro Customer Center along
with the required documents. Please see application for details or visit TAP’s website.
Big Blue Bus does not offer single-ride discounts for college students on TAP; however, many local universities do offer student rates on public transportation through the U-Pass Program on TAP. Learn more about the U-Pass and whether your school participates.