SacRT Discount Fares 2026–27: Half-Price Rides at 62, Tap2Ride for Veterans, Free Rides for Students and How to Sign Up
Updated: 8 hours ago
A monthly SacRT pass costs $100. Seniors and riders with disabilities pay $50. Riders 75 and older can pay $40. Every student in grades TK through 12 can ride free. And since SacRT added Tap2Ride, veterans can get half off too, simply by linking a bank card to their eligibility online.
The rules have shifted a lot in the past year. ZipPass is gone, a new app called Transit Connect replaced it, and there are now two different ways to prove you qualify for a discount. This guide sorts out who gets what and the simplest way to get it.
Last reviewed: October 2026. How we research and correct guides like this one is explained in our Editorial Standards.
Who rides for less in Sacramento
Basic fare (ages 19 to 61): $2.50 a ride, $7 a day, $100 a month.
Discount fare (seniors 62+, people with disabilities): $1.25 a ride, $3.50 a day, $50 a month.
Super Seniors (75+): $40 monthly sticker.
Students TK–12: free with a RydeFreeRT card, valid through June 30, 2027.
Veterans: half off basic fares, but only through Tap2Ride.
Kids 5 and under: up to two ride free with a paying adult.
Customer Service and Sales Center: 1225 R St., next to the 13th Street light rail station, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call center: 916-321-BUSS (2877).
What You'll Pay
SacRT's Fares page lists these prices:
Fare | Basic (19–61) | Senior 62+ or Disability | Student TK–12 |
Single ride | $2.50 | $1.25 | $1.25 (free with RydeFreeRT) |
Transfer ticket | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.25 |
Daily pass | $7.00 | $3.50 | $3.50 |
Semi-monthly pass | $50.00 | $25.00 | $10.00 |
Monthly pass | $100.00 | $50.00 | $20.00 |
Super Senior (75+) monthly pass/sticker: $40.
A few rules worth knowing:
Exact change on the bus. Operators don't carry cash.
Light rail single tickets are good for 90 minutes on light rail. To switch to a bus, pay the 25-cent transfer.
On buses, you pay a fare for each trip, or buy a daily pass for unlimited rides that day.
Semi-monthly passes cover the 1st to 15th or the 16th to the end of the month. That's handy if money is tight at the start of the month.
Discount monthly and semi-monthly stickers must go on a valid SacRT photo ID. Student stickers can go on a school photo ID.
Who Qualifies for Discount Fare
SacRT's Fare Categories page lists:
Seniors, 62 and older
Show proof of age, such as a senior ID, driver's license or passport. SacRT also has an Application for Senior Discount Fare if you want a SacRT photo ID to put monthly stickers on.
One wrinkle: SacRT gives the senior discount at 62, but Tap2Ride's online discount only works at 65. SacRT says that's because the state system it uses defines seniors as 65 and checks with Social Security. If you're 62 to 64, use a SacRT ID, not Tap2Ride.
Super Seniors, 75 and older
Bring proof of age to the Customer Service Center at 1225 R St. to buy the $40 Super Senior sticker.
Riders 75+ who hold a Lifetime Pass issued before September 1, 2009 ride free on buses and light rail.
People with disabilities
Show a disability ID card, Medicare card, or an ID from another transit agency. SacRT also has an Application for Disabled Discount ID Card.
If you need an attendant, ask for the "attendant" notation on your SacRT disabled photo ID. With it, your attendant can ride at the discount fare when traveling with you.
Veterans
SacRT says veterans are eligible for discount fare only through Tap2Ride. There's no separate veteran ID card.
Students, TK through 12
Students and youth who live or go to school in SacRT's service area can get a RydeFreeRT card for fare-free transit. More on that below.
What about low income?
SacRT's fare pages don't list a general low-income discount for buses and light rail. The discounts are tied to age, disability, veteran status and student status.
Tap2Ride: The Easiest Discount for Many Riders
Tap2Ride lets you pay by tapping a contactless debit or credit card or a phone wallet (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express) on the reader when you board. For eligible riders, it also applies the discount automatically.
Who can use the Tap2Ride discount
SacRT says veterans, seniors 65+ and Medicare cardholders get 50% off basic fares through Tap2Ride.
How to sign up
Go to benefits.calitp.org.
Pick "Sacramento Regional Transit District" as your provider.
Verify:
Veterans are checked against the Department of Veterans Affairs database.
Seniors 65+ and Medicare cardholders verify identity with a state-issued ID through Login.gov.
Link the card you'll tap with.
SacRT says this removes the need for in-person verification. You never have to visit the sales center.
Where it works right now
Tap2Ride is rolling out in two phases:
Now: Tap on buses and SacRT GO paratransit shuttles, and transfer between buses using the same card or phone. At light rail stations, you can use your contactless card at fare vending machines.
Not yet: Bus-to-light-rail transfer benefits (the 90-minute window, the 25-cent transfer, and unlimited daily rides between bus and rail) don't work with contactless payment yet. SacRT expects that in late 2026.
If you switch between bus and light rail every day, a regular daily or monthly pass may still be the better deal for now.
Students: RydeFreeRT
RydeFreeRT gives fare-free rides to all youth in grades TK–12 in the Sacramento region, including students experiencing homelessness or in foster care. SacRT's board voted to continue it, and new cards are valid June 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
SacRT says youth took more than 5 million rides on RydeFreeRT in fiscal 2025.
Where to get a card
Your school office. Districts have cards for distribution at school sites.
SacRT's Customer Service and Sales Center, 1225 R St.
Sacramento County public libraries
To ride, show the card when boarding a bus or when a light rail fare inspector asks.
School groups of 10 or more students traveling 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. pay $2.50 per student (free with RydeFreeRT) and $5 per adult.
Buying Discount Fares on Your Phone: Transit Connect
ZipPass was discontinued on July 1, 2026. SacRT's mobile app is now Transit Connect. According to SacRT's FAQ:
Discount fares became available in the app in December 2025.
Tap "Discounts," choose your discount category, then go to Buy Tickets. Discount options will show up automatically.
You can buy single rides, daily, semi-monthly and monthly passes for both fixed-route and SacRT GO service.
You still need proof of eligibility when riding. Show your activated ticket on your phone and be ready to show your ID.
SacRT says a Transit Connect smart card is coming in a later phase, and regional partners are expected to join in fall 2026.
The Connect Card
The regional Connect Transit Card still works. You order it online, create an account and buy fare, and the card arrives in 7 to 10 business days.
Doing the Math: Pass or Pay Per Ride?
Here's a quick way to decide, using SacRT's posted prices.
Say you ride the bus to work and back on 22 weekdays a month, with no transfers. That's 44 rides.
Basic fare: 44 single rides at $2.50 is $110. The $100 monthly pass saves you $10, and every weekend trip after that is free.
Discount fare: 44 rides at $1.25 is $55. The $50 discount monthly pass saves $5, plus free weekend rides.
Super Senior: the $40 sticker beats paying per ride once you take more than 32 trips a month.
If you ride only a few days a week, a daily pass ($3.50 discount) on the days you make several trips, plus single rides on the others, usually costs less than a monthly pass. And if money runs short at the start of the month, the semi-monthly pass ($25 discount) lets you split the cost in two.
Which Option Should You Choose?
Veteran: Tap2Ride. It's the only way to get your discount.
Senior 65+ or Medicare card holder who mostly rides buses: Tap2Ride is simplest.
Senior 62 to 64: SacRT senior ID, then buy discount passes.
Senior 75+: the $40 Super Senior sticker.
Disability without Medicare: apply for SacRT's Disabled Discount ID.
Bus and light rail every day: a $50 discount monthly pass until Tap2Ride transfers arrive.
Any K-12 student: RydeFreeRT. Free.
One caution: we couldn't confirm everything. what documents the Senior and Disabled Discount ID applications require, how long SacRT IDs take to issue, and whether a fee applies weren't on the pages we checked. SacRT GO paratransit eligibility isn't covered. SacRT's fare pages didn't mention a low-income discount for regular routes; we didn't check SacRT Flex fares or eligibility.
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