Rio Sets May 30 Cashless Switch on Municipal Buses

Overview

• Rio’s transport department, which announced the change Tuesday, will stop accepting cash on municipal buses from May 30 and restrict payment to the Jaé system or Riocard only for intercity integration.
• At a Thursday briefing, the mayor and transport secretary said a pilot on line 634 between Ilha do Governador and Tijuca will run without cash ahead of the wider rollout to help riders adjust.
• Integration discounts under the Bilhete Único Carioca and Margaridas will work only with a Jaé account tied to a taxpayer ID via the black card or app, while the anonymous green card will be limited to single rides at the full R$5 fare.
• The city says riders can still use cash to add credit at Jaé ATMs, about 2,000 accredited points, and BRT ticket offices, and it listed where to buy the card and how to claim the R$5 refund when returning the green card.
• Officials cite current use data showing about 9.2% of trips are paid in cash and argue the shift will speed boarding, remove more than R$1.3 million in daily cash from buses, and cut theft risks, even as Alerj’s transport commission prepares a formal notice questioning legal and social impacts and pointing to union reports of 12,000 fare-collector job losses.