York by bus smartcard

The York by bus smartcard is a contactless card onto which multiple individual bus tickets can be loaded.

Simply tap your smartcard on the ticket machine when you board the bus (but not when you get off). The ticket machine will read the card and confirm to the driver that you have a valid ticket for your journey.

You can load several different period tickets, such as weekly or monthly, onto your smartcard. However, due to the way that the ticket machines work, only 1 type of multi-day ticket (Park & Ride or All York) can be loaded on to a single card.

Please make sure your card is loaded with a valid ticket before you board the bus.

• York by bus smartcard tickets
• How to buy and load a card
• York by bus smartcard map
• Register for a free York by bus smartcard
• Smartcard problems

York by bus smartcard tickets

When you buy a weekly or monthly ticket, keep your receipt to remind you of the expiry date. Your can tap your card on any ticket kiosk to check the number of days' travel remaining.

The York by bus card can store tickets of different types at the same time. The exception is multi-day tickets (for example, 5 days, 10 days) - you can’t load both All York and Park & Ride multi-day tickets on to the same card.

Unused day tickets are valid for up to 1 year from the date of purchase.

When buying a period (weekly or monthly) ticket you must specify the date you want your ticket to start. For example, you can buy a ticket at the weekend but set the start date for the following Monday. Tickets can be loaded up to 1 month in advance.

Refunds cannot be offered once the ticket has been purchased. We strongly advise you to ensure you choose the correct ticket before purchasing.

See our list of smartcard tickets and prices for more information.

You can load the following types of tickets for different services.

Park & Ride

• multi-day
• weekly
• monthly

Valid on all York Park & Ride services.

All York

• multi-day
• weekly
• monthly

Valid on all bus services within the City of York boundary.

First York

• weekly
• monthly

Valid on First York bus services only.

Coastliner

• 12-trip
• monthly tickets

Valid on Coastliner buses only.

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How to buy and load a card

There is a non-refundable charge of £2 for each smartcard, when you purchase your smartcard at a kiosk. The cost is to cover the cost of producing the cards, and to avoid waste by encouraging you to reuse your card rather than getting a new card for every purchase. The cards are reuseable and kept with care will last for many years.

You can register for a free York by bus smartcard online.

When travelling together, each passenger must have a separate York by Bus card. The only exceptions are the Park & Ride smart tickets, which allow up to 3 children to travel free of charge with each adult passenger.

You can buy a card and load tickets onto it at kiosks at the following locations:

• Park & Ride sites - during normal opening hours - only Park & Ride tickets can be loaded here
• Visit York information centre at 21 Parliament Street, open 09.00 to 17.00 Monday to Sunday
• City centre kiosks, located at local bus connections, available 24 hours a day
• Monks Cross Shopping Park, located at the bus stop near Primark

Check to see how many days of travel are left on your card at any kiosk. You can load up tickets at any time and don’t need to wait for the current ticket to run out.

Kiosk locations are shown on the York by bus smartcard map.

Select your preferred ticket from the kiosk touch screen:

Insert your payment card and enter your pin:

Take your empty York by bus smartcard from the lower slot:

Place your smartcard in the upper slot to load your ticket:

Place your smartcard on the ticket machine each time you board the bus:

When your ticket runs out, you can reload your card at a kiosk:

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York by bus smartcard map

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Register for a free York by bus smartcard

If you choose to register your details online, we’ll send you a free blank card that normally costs £2.

Once you receive your card you can load tickets onto it at any of the kiosk locations shown on the York by bus smartcard map.

If you lose your card and it’s handed in to us, we can return it to you.

Register for a Smartcard

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Smartcard problems

If your card is not working, go to one of the smart ticketing kiosks either in the city centre or at one of our Park & Ride sites. Place the card on the sensor to check whether a ticket has been loaded successfully.

If a ticket is loaded, check to see if the ticket can be read and it is valid for today’s date. The ticket may have expired or the start date may be in the future. If it is valid for today’s date and you’ve bought an All York ticket, then be aware that those tickets are only valid in the York area.

If your smartcard can’t be read by the sensor on one of the kiosks, the card might be damaged. Old smartcards are more likely to be damaged and stop working. If a card looks old and worn, you should get a new card before it stops working.

If you’re still experiencing problems, contact us on email: smartcard@york.gov.uk.

Lost smartcards

We advise all customers to register their card online using our sign up form.

Registered cards can be returned to their owner if they are found and handed in to a retail outlet or to a bus driver.

No refunds can be offered for missing cards.

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