Decide when you need a bus pass, immediately or sometime in the future. Bus passes are available at the bus stop and local retailers. Bus passes from a bus stop have a limited application but provide the quickest way to get somewhere. If you do need it immediately and want to choose from a variety of ticket offerings, then go to step 3.
Go to the bus stop if you need your pass quickly. Once on the bus, you can choose to pay $1 for one single ride on that bus or you can opt to pay $2 for a 24-hour pass that allows you to ride an unlimited number of times, at time of publication. The buses take nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, one-dollar bills and five-dollar bills.
Find the nearest ticket retailer near you at the Bus Riders of Austin Texas website (See Resources). Numerous grocery stores, convenience stores and gas stations offer Capital Metro ticket sales. It's a good idea to call ahead to make sure that the ticket office is open, because many ticket offices hold different hours than the store.
Choose the best type of pass. At time of publication, Austin Capital Metro offers day passes for $1. You can buy a Stored Value Card that gives you $15 worth of rides for $12. Austin Capital Metro also offers a week-long pass for $9 and a monthly pass for $30. Once you buy your pass, you simply pick the routes that you want to take, swipe your pass when you enter the bus and keep the pass with you for the allotted time of use.
