Save Time And Money With The Plastic CharlieCard

As thousands of customers have already learned, the MBTA’s plastic CharlieCard saves time with tap-and-go boardings on buses and streetcars, but come January, the CharlieCard will save a person money too. Under the new fare structure, customers who use a CharlieCard will pay less for bus and subway rides than those who don't use one.

But the benefits of the plastic CharlieCard are not limited to single ride fares. Beginning tomorrow, monthly Local Bus and Link Pass holders can purchase and load their January passes directly onto a CharlieCard.

Senior and Transportation Access Pass (T.A.P.) holders that have their new photo ID card also can now load their Senior/T.A.P. monthly passes onto their ID card, eliminating the need to carry a separate paper CharlieTicket.

To load your January 2007 Local Bus or LinkPass onto a CharlieCard at a fare vending machine or retail sales outlet (visit www.mbta.com for sales location information), tap your card to the black target and select the " Purchase Passes " option from the menu screen, select your pass type, submit payment and tap again to load the purchased pass on to your CharlieCard.

The monthly LinkPass, at $59, provides the customer with unlimited travel on Local Bus and Rapid Transit services. Please note that customers who wish to travel to/from Zone 1A commuter rail stations (includes those previously considered within Zone 1B) need to purchase a Commuter Rail Zone 1A CharlieTicket pass or higher zoned pass as needed.

"If you haven't gotten to know Charlie yet, now is the time," said MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas. "Convenient and easy to use, plastic CharlieCards save bus and subway customers time and money."

The monthly Local Bus pass continues to be accepted in the same manner as it does today: unlimited Local Bus rides for the calendar month.

Customers who load their monthly Local Bus or monthly Link Pass on to a CharlieCard can immediately begin to experience the ease and efficiency of tap-and-go boardings on MBTA buses, and Silver and Green Line vehicles.

In addition, the MBTA is introducing the new 1-Day and 7-Day LinkPasses on December 15th, which are valid for one or seven days from date and time of purchase. The 1-Day and 7-Day LinkPasses offer unlimited travel on Local Bus, Rapid Transit, Commuter Rail Zone 1A and Inner Harbor Ferry. Customers who previously bought MBTA weekly passes can buy the 7-Day LinkPass for their travel needs. 7-Day Passes purchased prior to January 1 will be priced at $16.50, be valid for 7 days from date and time of purchase, and allow for travel wherever Weekly Combo and Combo Plus passes are accepted. After January 1st, the cost of a 7-Day pass on a paper CharlieTicket will DROP to just $15.

Passes that are also valid on Commuter Rail routes and Inner Harbor Ferry, such as the 1-Day and 7-Day Link passes, new Inner and Outer Express Bus passes, Commuter Rail and Boat passes, will continue to be issued on paper CharlieTickets until CharlieCard readers are installed on the commuter rail and boat systems next year.

For more information on the new fare structure or to learn which MBTA pass meets your needs, please call 617.222.3200.