The Rapid Bus Fare Cap Is Increasing Next Month

Grand Rapids is very fortunate to have a public transportation system that is as effective as The Rapid. All of my college years, I happily took the bus to and from school every day, and still take it because it's cheap, frequently on time, and I have a stop right outside my house. Especially around ArtPrize, the bus is super handy.

Get our free mobile app

One of the most convenient parts of taking the bus is the daily cap, which limits how much a person can spend on the bus, so a passenger isn't dropping a grand on multiple trips in a day. However, for the first time since 2018, The Rapid has announced an increase is coming next month.

⬇️ARTPRIZE WINNERS FROM 2009 TO 2024⬇️

Daily & Monthly Caps

Since 2018, the Daily Fare cap has been set at $3.50, which makes sense considering the individual fare price is $1.75, so a round trip hits the cap, and if people need to take it more than twice a day, they'll only be charged the $3.50.

However, back in December 2024, The Rapid announced they were considering raising the daily fares to $5.25 and upping the monthly cap to $60. Now, the transportation service has confirmed on its Facebook page that the cap would indeed be raised to the proposed caps starting April 1st. It is important to note that individual ride prices are not increasing from the standard $1.75.

What This Means For You

All this means is technically, if you're taking the bus more than twice a day, you'll need to pay for that additional third trip rather than the cap covering it like before. The cap is meant to bring the bus service to an industry standard after a study found The Rapid had one of the lowest caps in the country for a service of this size.

READ MORE: You Can't Fly Out Of Michigan Without THIS After May 7th |

It is curious to note that paying with contactless payments like tap-to-pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay do not have the monthly caps, so if you want to take advantage of the fare cap, use a Wave card.

The increase takes effect on April 1st. If you have questions about the fare changes, you can reach out to the Information Center at 616-776-1100.