Flamingo Fares Tampa Bay brings a new payment system to the region, simplifying transit use. It allows a rider to pay using a re-loadable smartcard or smartphone app, which can be used across participating transit agencies.

Counties currently participating in Flamingo Fares: Hernando (TheBus), Hillsborough (HART) and Pinellas (PSTA/Jolley Trolley).

No. Since Flamingo Fares is account-based, each rider must have their own card or app. The exception may apply if your transit agency offers a group/family-type pass. Please check with your local transit agency for specific details.

If you qualify for a Discount Card (as a senior, student, disabled person, veteran, paratransit customer, or Medicare recipient, depending on transit agency policy), please visit your local Transit Center for a new Flamingo Fares card printed with your name and Photo ID. Please visit your transit agency ’s website for more information about discounted fare programs/eligibility requirements.

Instead of buying day/month passes in advance, you earn them as you go. Simply load value on your Flamingo Fares card or app and pay as you board the bus or trolley. Board twice in one day with your Flamingo Fares card or phone app, and you’ll earn a day pass (the amount you pay is “capped,” so you ride free the rest of the day). Once you reach the cost of a monthly pass, you can ride free for the rest of the month (when you pay with Flamingo Fares). So, you get the savings of a bus pass, without the commitment or the upfront cost.

• Always get the best fare
• Savings for frequent riders
• No upfront costs
• Pay only for the trips you take

Here’s an example: George loads $10 on his Flamingo Fares card. When he boards the bus in the morning, the cost of one cash fare is deducted from his account. At the transfer center, he boards another bus and the cost of one more cash fare is deducted. Later, on the way home, George boards and his rides on the way home are free because his fare was “capped” at the cost of a day pass, which he reached earlier in the day.

You’ll see magnetic stripe or flash passes phased out at some point in the future.

Specific timeframe varies by agency. 

PSTA: Starting July 5^th, 2021, the only pass available for purchase on board will be a day pass. Passes will no longer be sold at PSTA’s customer service centers, or retailers. Customers will only be able to purchase Flamingo Cards at these outlets.   

Don’t worry, we’ll give you lots of notice and warning!

Please contact your local agency for specific locations that distribute and load Flamingo cards:

• Hernando (TheBus), open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. https://www.hernandocounty.us/departments/departments-n-z/transit-thebus/

• Hillsborough (HART), open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. gohart.org/

• Pinellas (PSTA/Jolley Trolley), open weekdays from 7:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. https://www.psta.net/

A pass valid for a specific calendar period (i.e. 10-day, one month or one year) is valid at the beginning of the month or at the first use and will remain active for the duration of the pass. Any funds placed on the card will be available to use immediately.

Yes — tap your card or scan your mobile app QR code at the validator every time you board a bus or trolley. You won’t necessarily be charged every time you tap, but it validates your fare and serves as your proof of payment. Unlike other transit systems, you don’t have to tap off at your destination.

Riders with daily and monthly passes or reached the daily/monthly capping status are still required to tap every time they board.

If you purchase a family pass (available on select agencies) then you can load the family pass onto your Flamingo Fares card and tap once to pay for everyone in your group. Otherwise, everyone ages six (6) and up in your group or family needs their own Flamingo Fares card. Also, you can easily manage multiple cards through one Flamingo Fares account on the Flamingo Fares website or using the Flamingo Fares App.

For specific family/group pass information, please check with your local transit agency.

There is a $3 charge for new and replacement Flamingo Fares cards.

Sorry, at this time, cards are not available by mail, but you can go to one of many Flamingo retailers or transit agency ticket offices to purchase a card. You can also easily load fare using the new Flamingo Fares App. See “All about the Flamingo Fares App” section.

In the near future, you will be able to order cards on the Flamingo Fares website flamingofares.com. We will keep you updated when this function is available

ALL ABOUT THE FLAMINGO FARES APP

• How do I install the app? You can find the app in the Google or Apple app store
  
  
• What is the name of the app? Flamingo Fares

What is the app logo?

There is a $5 minimum when loading money on your Flamingo Fares card, except at some Transit Centers.

As long as it has a Visa, Mastercard, or Discover logo on it, you can use it as a payment method when you reload using flamingofares.com, the Flamingo mobile App, Flaming Fares Self-Service system at 1-844-844-8833, or at the ticket offices (where you can also buy a Flamingo Fares card). However, you can’t use a commuter benefit card or transit debit card to buy or reload a Flamingo Fares card at Flamingo retailers such as grocery stores.

Your fare was successfully deducted from your balance / you have a valid pass.

Your fare was successfully deducted from your balance, but the money on your card is running low / you have a valid pass that is about to expire.

There is not enough money on your card to pay the fare / your card does not have a valid pass/ your card has been blocked.