Silverline - WKTV Journal

The Silverline will now include on-board payments. (WKTV)

The Rapid is reintroducing the Silver Line to new and returning customers with on-board fare payments to prepare for contactless payments coming in 2023. The change improves customer experience, avoids expensive equipment replacements, and aligns with how people pay fares on other buses in the system.

As the original ticket vending machines reach their end of life, The Rapid is preparing for convenient payment options onboard the Silver Line buses rather than replacing the expensive equipment. Transactions for fare will look just like the rest of The Rapid’s routes other than the Laker Line. These changes include installing Wave card readers and cash fareboxes onboard. These changes will prepare The Rapid for the contactless fare payment options, including Apple Pay and Google Pay coming in Spring 2023.

“We’re continually reviewing our system and our performance and taking the steps we need to, focusing on how The Rapid can improve mobility and access for all,” said Deb Prato, chief executive officer for The Rapid. “We look at how can we make it easier for our customers to get from point A to point B, how to choose the best route or combination of transportation options, and how to pay for their fares in the most convenient way possible.”

The Rapid launched the Silver Line, Michigan’s first Bus Rapid Transit service in 2014. The Silver Line provided an express route for customers in the Division Avenue corridor and was equipped with the best technology available at the time.

The Silver Line blurs the lines between buses and trains by offering customers more amenities than a typical bus service. Customers have access to the park and ride options and convenient fare vending. The Silver Line stations offer sheltered, accessible platform boarding and real-time arrival information. Traffic signal prioritization, hybrid diesel-electric buses, and high-frequency service are also features of this bus rapid transit service.

Customers will use the same payment methods on Silver Line buses as the rest of the fixed-route bus system. Adult customers pay $1.75 per ride with exact cash or can receive the best value by purchasing a $47 monthly Wave card, The Rapid’s smart transit pass, that launched in 2018 to make fare payments easier. With the Wave card, receive the highest value for the amount with fare-capping and free transfers within one hour and 45 minutes. Specialty Wave cards, like youth and reduced fare, require picture identification and can be purchased at The Rapid’s Information Center within Central Station. Adult Wave cards can be purchased online at wave.ridetherapid.org.

By Tyler J. Bronsink-Newland
WKTV Intern

ken@wktv.org

Throughout 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued affecting the daily lives of the people of Grand Rapids, including commuters and other riders of The Rapid transit system. And as the community has moved forward and adapted, its public transit system has moved forward with cleaning procedures and safety protocols for its buses and the citizens who ride them daily.

WKTV took a ride on The Rapid’s SilverLine and spoke with Bill Kirk, Business Affairs Specialist of The Rapid, on the sanitization of the buses daily using antiseptic agents as well as how it encourages passengers to wear masks and practice social distancing.

And what they have learned about cleaning and sanitization will likely become standard operating procedure even in a post-pandemic future.

“We take pride in how clean our buses are, but after experiencing the situation, we want to maintain those policies even after the pandemic goes away,” Kirk said. “We just want to make sure we’re providing as safe and as healthy a ride as possible for our riders.”

The Rapid public transportation system provides services to the greater Grand Rapids area, including Wyoming, and Kentwood. Formed in 2000, The Rapid operates on fixed routes throughout Grand Rapids and works with people with disabilities for their services. They also provide the SilverLine, a transit started in 2014 that runs along Division Avenue south and loops around the Rapid Central Station in Grand Rapids.

For more information on The Rapid, visit ridetherapid.org.