Transit Fares & Passes

• Licence 2 Ride

  The City’s Licence 2 Ride is offered to youth aged 12–16 and provides the chance to ride for free on Barrie Transit & play for free at the City's three recreation centres. Learn more and apply for the Licence 2 Ride (applications are open prior to summer each year). 

• Georgian College U-Pass

  Since September 2018, all full-time students at the Barrie Campus of Georgian College receive a transit pass, providing them with unlimited access to the transit system. The U-Pass costs $90.69 per semester (added to student fees). A student bus pass would cost $273 per semester. 

  The pass was introduced with the goal of increasing Barrie Transit ridership, reducing illegal parking and decreasing student housing rental near Georgian College, by allowing more students to find housing outside of the college’s immediate area and take the bus to class.

  With over 22,000 eligible students participating in the program during 2023 alone, the U-Pass accounted for 1.7 million trips, comprising of approximately 45% of the ridership system wide.

  For more information, read Georgian College's U-Pass FAQs or email ServiceBarrie@barrie.ca.

  Background

  A referendum was held in January 2018 to provide Georgian College students the opportunity to vote on implementing a Universal Bus Pass (U-Pass) and students voted in favour of the program. On April 30, 2018, City Council approved implementing a Universal Transit Pass (U-Pass) for Georgian College. The current U-Pass program has been in effect since September 2018. The current agreement is set to expire in August 2025.

  The Georgian College Student Association (GCSA) held a referendum vote the last week of March 2024 and students voted in favour of continuing with the U-Pass beyond August 2025. The new agreement will be for an additional 5-year term with the option to extend an additional 2 years. 

• Transit Field Trip Pass

  The Transit Field Trip Pass Program to make school field trips more accessible and affordable by offering free transit passes to elementary and high schools within Barrie. Learn more and apply for the Transit Field Trip Pass.

• Purchase Fares on the Hotspot App

  Download App & Create an Account

  Skip this step if you have already have a HotSpot account. 

  1. Download the app from Google Play or App Store. 
  2. Open the HotSpot Mobile App and select "Get Started."
  3. Select country "Canada", province "Ontario", and city "Barrie."
  4. Select "Transit" to set your app homepage to transit.
  5. Enter your sign in email and password. Accept the terms of service and privacy policy.
  6. You’re registered!

  
  Add a Payment Method

  1. Select "Add Payment Method" (bottom left of home screen in red letters) and enter your credit card details.
  2. You can now purchase fares!

  
  Purchase a Fare

  1. Ensure you're in the "Transit" tab using the icon at the bottom of the screen and click the red "Purchase" button. 
  2. Double check the city is set to "Barrie" so you are purchasing a Barrie Transit fare. 
  3. Select your desired fare product and purchase.
• Purchase Fares on the HotSpot Website

  Visit the Website & Create an Account

  Skip this step if you have already have a HotSpot account. 

  1. Visit htsp.ca and select "Login."
  2. Select "New Parker" to register an account for parking and/or transit.
  3. Choose Barrie as the city you will be parking (this applies to transit, too).
  4. Add your desired account email and password.
  5. Select finish.
  6. You’re registered!

  
  Add a Payment Method

  1. Once logged in, select "Wallet" on the left panel.
  2. Select "Add Credit Card" on the payment method.
  3. You can now purchase fares!

  
  Purchase a Fare

  1. Ensure you're in the "Transit" tab using the left panel of the screen.
  2. Under "City", select Barrie.
  3. Select your desired fare product and purchase.
• Activate Your Fare (HotSpot App Only)

  Fares must be activated from the app, which is available for download from Google Play or App Store.

  1. Ensure you're in the "Transit" tab of the app using the icon at the bottom of the screen. Click the red "Continue" button under the "Please select a route" heading.
  2. Select your fare product.
  3. Once you see your bus arriving, click "Board the bus" and confirm. Your fare is now active.
  4. Show the driver the coloured screen with a moving bus on it. This is your fare. It is valid for 90 minutes. You may be asked by the operator to touch your screen to confirm the fare. This will darken the background color.
  5. For transfers, show the same-coloured screen to the bus driver of the second bus.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I know my data is safe in the HotSpot app?

  The City worked with HotSpot to complete a Privacy Impact Assessment to ensure the app is set up to protect your data.

• Can I use HotSpot if I don't have data on my phone?

  HotSpot can be used offline for monthly passes. On a Wi-Fi network, register, sign in, and purchase your fare. Once the fare is in your account, you can go offline and board the bus using the same step-by-step process. See instructions. 

• How do I transfer using the HotSpot app?

  Use the coloured moving screen that was used on the first bus, for the second bus. The fare ends after 90 minutes, which is the same as paper transfer tickets.

• How do I activate more than one fare using the HotSpot app?

  Display the coloured moving screen to the bus driver. Then expire the active ticket (ask for a paper transfer from the driver). Select the alternate fare, activate and show the driver. 

• How do I view fare history in the HotSpot app?

  Click the three lines in the top left corner of the screen. Select "Manage My Account", then "History" and then "Change". In the drop down menu, select "Transit".