MTS riders can soon pay fares with just a credit card

Starting in April 2024, Metropolitan Transit System riders won't need to sign up for or figure out the PRONTO fare system to ride Trolleys and buses — their credit card will be enough.

Driving the news: The MTS board voted Thursday to upgrade its payment system to include "open payment," meaning riders don't need to load funds onto a card or app to pay their fare.

• The upgrade is a $1.2 million expenditure.

Why it matters: MTS has lost money because of its fare system, which has been criticized for being so hard to use that riders increasingly ducked fares in frustration.

What they're saying: Connor Proctor, vice president of the transit advocacy group RideSD, said Thursday that signing up for and paying through PRONTO took 191 clicks.

• "This makes it so you pay for transit the same way you pay for everything else," said Will Moore, policy counsel with Circulate San Diego, another transit advocacy group.