New fare boxes going into Winnipeg Transit buses

New fare boxes are being installed in Winnipeg Transit buses.

City and Transit officials, on Thursday, showed off the boxes which feature automatic coin counters, information display screens, paper transfer printers and readers, and smart card readers.

It's expected all 565 transit buses will have the new fare boxes in the next few weeks.

"We know that convenience and simplicity encourages more ridership" said MLA Ron Lemieux.

"That is why we are pleased to partner with the City of Winnipeg to modernize our transit system, giving riders easier access to our buses."

The fareboxes count coins as they are dropped, one at a time, through the coin slot.

As payment is made, the information is presented visually on a display screen mounted on top of the fare box.

Riders using bus tickets will drop the tickets into a slot on top of the new fareboxes, while passholders will experience no change at all.

Transfers will now be printed and issued by the new farebox, rather than handed over by the driver. The transfer will include a barcode that will be scanned by the farebox on a connecting bus.