Paying Your Fare

Public buses in New York City are operated by New York City Transit, a division of the MTA. Get more information on bus routes and schedules.

The base cost of riding a Select Bus Service bus is $2.75, the same as riding the subway or the local or limited-stop bus. Select Bus Service is faster and more reliable than local and limited-stop busses in part because of off-board fare payment on most routes.

Using Off-board Fare Payment Machines

Before boarding the bus, riders must pay their fares on the sidewalk at a Select Bus Service station stop using a MetroCard or coin machine, where they will receive a receipt as proof of payment. When the bus comes, riders can enter or exit through any of the bus's doors, holding on to their receipt which may be requested at random as proof of payment by MTA inspectors (riders without a receipt will be subject to a $100 fare evasion summons).

On available buses with OMNY readers on board, you can skip the sidewalk kiosks and board through any door using a contactless card or digital wallet. Just tap your card or smart device on the OMNY reader.

MetroCard ticket machine

Paying Your Fare at the MetroCard Machine

  1. Push the Start button
  2. Insert your MetroCard (all MetroCards are accepted)
  3. Take your receipt and keep it during your ride
  4. Enter through any of the three doors and enjoy your ride

Coin Ticket machine

Paying Your Fare at the Coin Machine

  1. Insert coin fare
  2. Take your receipt and keep it during your ride
  3. Enter through any of the three doors and enjoy your ride

Proof of Payment

Customers will be issued a proof-of-payment receipt from the ticket vending machine which they must hold onto during their trip. At random, MTA fare inspectors request to view proof of payment receipts. Receipts are valid for one hour from the time of purchase on the same Select Bus Service line, and in the same direction, for which it was purchased.

Anyone who does not have a valid receipt will be issued a fare evasion summons by the fare inspector.

Transfers

All transfer policies are the same for Select Bus Service as they are with other bus-to-bus, bus-to-subway or subway-to-bus policies. Please see below for details on obtaining and using your transfer:

Customers who pay for their Select Bus Service ride with a MetroCard

You can enter the bus at any door as there is no need to show anything to the bus driver. Your connecting transfer data is encoded on your MetroCard and you can transfer to the subway or to another bus by using your MetroCard. Please be sure to hold on to your receipt of payment while riding the Select Bus Service.

Customers who pay for their Select Bus Service ride with coins

Customers paying with coins that are in need of a transfer should enter through the front door of the bus, present their Select Bus Service receipt to the bus operator and request a transfer, which will be issued from the fare box. You can use your transfer on the subway or on another bus. Please be sure to hold on to your receipt of payment while riding the Select Bus Service.

If you are using a transfer received from the subway or another bus

To board a Select Bus Service bus, you will need to insert your MetroCard or bus transfer at the MetroCard Fare Collector machine and obtain a proof-of-payment receipt. You may enter the bus at any door. Please be sure to hold on to your proof of payment receipt while riding the Select Bus Service.

Transferring to another Select Bus Service route

Insert your MetroCard or bus transfer into the MetroCard fare machine associated with the route you are transferring to. You will be issued a new Select Bus Service ticket as proof of payment, which you should hold on to throughout your ride. Please note that the ticket from the first route will not be valid on the second as tickets are specific to each SBS route.