Stephens Building and Downtown Little Rock · Bart Everson · CC BY 2.0 · cropped
Rock Region METRO launched METRO Pay smart cards on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, the agency said on its own site. Riders can load money or passes onto a physical card and tap it when boarding fixed-route buses and METRO Connect microtransit vehicles. The first card per person is free through Tuesday, Oct. 20. From Wednesday, Oct. 21, every new or replacement card costs $10.
That deadline is the traveler decision. If you are in Little Rock this fall, pick up the free card before Oct. 20, then use fare capping so a day of taps never costs more than a Day Pass. Visitors mapping things to do in Little Rock can get a card at the River Cities Travel Center or order one online, as Rock Region METRO set out in its launch notice.
- Launch: METRO Pay smart cards started Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
- Free window: The first card per person is free through Tuesday, Oct. 20.
- After Oct. 21: New and replacement cards cost $10.
- Where: River Cities Travel Center in downtown Little Rock, or online at rrmetro.org.
- Caps: Little Rock and North Little Rock taps stop at a Day Pass in one day or a 31-Day Pass over 31 days.
Free METRO Pay Cards Run Through October 20
METRO Pay is a pay-as-you-go card, not a new fare table. Cash, limited-use paper passes, and virtual passes still work. The new product is the plastic card, the online account, and the automatic caps. KATV reported the same dates on Monday and quoted CEO Justin Avery: the agency wants more ways to pay and more value on each trip.
The free-card window is short. Tuesday, Oct. 20, is the last day the first card is free. Riders who collect a card by that date are also entered to win free passes loaded onto the card. From Wednesday, Oct. 21, the card itself costs $10, including replacements. Rides still cost the posted fare. The $0 offer is only for the card stock through Oct. 20.
A valid email address is required to create the account that sits behind the card. Online orders can be mailed or sent to the Travel Center for pickup. In person, METRO accepts cash, debit, or credit for the card and for reloads. Online reloads take a debit or credit card. Those rules are on the agency launch page and on the live METRO Pay smart cards portal.
Fare Caps Stop Little Rock Riders at Pass Prices
The useful math is the cap, not the plastic. For Little Rock and North Little Rock riders, METRO Pay automatically stops charging once the taps in a single day reach the price of a Day Pass, or once taps over 31 days reach the price of a 31-Day Pass. You do not have to guess whether a pass would have been cheaper. The card does that comparison as you ride.
Posted cash fares remain in force until the cap hits. Adult one-way fare on METRO Local buses and METRO Connect in Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Hensley is $1.35, and an adult 31-Day Pass is $36, according to the agency fares and passes page. METRO did not publish a Day Pass dollar figure in the METRO Pay launch note. Treat the cap as “no more than a Day Pass that day” until you confirm the current Day Pass price at the Travel Center or on the fare table.
The cap is written for Little Rock and North Little Rock. Conway, Sherwood, and METRO Links paratransit follow their own fare rules. Do not assume a Little Rock cap covers a Conway microtransit trip. If your days mix those zones, pay the posted fare for the zone you are in and ask at the Travel Center before you load a large balance.
River Cities Travel Center Handles Pickup and Reloads
The in-person desk is the River Cities Travel Center at 310 E. Capitol Avenue in downtown Little Rock. That is the same sales office METRO already uses for passes. KATV said the agency is offering refreshments and giveaways there on Monday, Sept. 21, to mark the launch. If you are downtown that day, you can pick up the free card and load a starter balance in one stop.
Online is the other door. The METRO Pay webpage is live as of launch day. Order the card, manage payment methods, check the balance, and read tap history from the account. Cards bought online can be mailed to you or staged at the Travel Center. Either path still needs that email address. If you do not want an account, cash and paper passes remain valid on the bus.
Central Arkansas visitors who already planned a stop at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site can treat the Travel Center as a downtown errand on the same trip. The card does not replace a park ticket. It only pays METRO bus and microtransit fares once you are moving around the city.
Cash, Paper Passes and Streetcars Stay Valid
METRO Pay does not retire cash. The launch notice says limited-use paper passes, virtual passes, and cash will still be accepted. If you take one bus and leave, a $1.35 cash fare still works. If you ride all day, the card is the tool that applies the Day Pass cap without a separate pass purchase.
River Rail streetcars are a different product. METRO’s fare page says streetcar rides are fare-free. Do not tap a METRO Pay card for a streetcar, and do not buy a $10 card only for the trolley. The Pay card is for fixed-route buses and METRO Connect microtransit. Keep cash or a paper pass in your pocket if you expect to ride a bus where the farebox is still in cash mode.
KATV’s Monday report matches the agency dates on the free window, the $10 fee after Oct. 21, and fare capping. Use the operator page for the rules, then the local report as independent confirmation that the launch happened on Sept. 21 rather than slipping.
Transfers and Lost Cards Need a Registered Account
Pay-per-trip riders who tap from the card balance get a free transfer credited automatically for eligible rides. That is a change from buying a transfer as a separate paper product. Register the card so the transfer and the cap attach to the account, not only to a piece of plastic you can lose.
Balance protection is the other registered-card benefit. METRO says a registered rider can replace a lost or stolen card without losing the stored funds. An unregistered card is closer to cash: if it is gone, the balance is gone. Spend the extra minute on the email account if you load more than a day’s fares.
Discount, student, and child fares still exist on the printed table. METRO Pay does not, in the launch note, say the card will auto-select a half-price fare. If you ride on a discount, tell the operator before you tap, the same way METRO already asks contactless credit-card riders to identify a child or discount fare first. Confirm that step at the Travel Center if your party mixes adult and discount riders.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Are in Little Rock through Oct. 20 | Get the first METRO Pay card free at the Travel Center or online, then load a small balance. |
| Will not visit until Oct. 21 or later | Budget $10 for the card plus fare, or keep using cash and paper passes. |
| Expect several bus trips in one day | Tap METRO Pay so Little Rock and North Little Rock fares cap at a Day Pass. |
| Only want the River Rail streetcar | Skip the card. Streetcar rides stay fare-free under the current fare table. |
Sept. 21, 2026, is the launch date. METRO Pay cards are already on sale at the River Cities Travel Center and online. Tap them on buses and microtransit now.
Oct. 20 is the last free-card day. Collect the first card by Tuesday, Oct. 20, to avoid the $10 fee and stay in the free-pass drawing.
Oct. 21 is the $10 card date. From Wednesday, Oct. 21, budget $10 for every new or replacement card, plus the posted fare until a cap applies.
When did Rock Region METRO Pay cards launch?
Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, according to Rock Region METRO and KATV. Tap-to-ride on buses and microtransit started that day.
How long are METRO Pay cards free?
The first card per person is free through Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Collect it by that date to stay at $0 for the plastic.
How much does a METRO Pay card cost after October 20?
$10 from Wednesday, Oct. 21, for every new or replacement card. Ride fares are extra and follow the posted table until a cap applies.
Does METRO Pay work on the Little Rock streetcar?
No. METRO Pay is for fixed-route buses and METRO Connect microtransit. Streetcar rides remain fare-free on the current fare page.
What is METRO Pay fare capping?
For Little Rock and North Little Rock, taps stop at the price of a Day Pass in one day or a 31-Day Pass, now $36 for adults, over 31 days.
Where do I get a METRO Pay card in Little Rock?
River Cities Travel Center, 310 E. Capitol Avenue, or the METRO Pay page at rrmetro.org. You need a valid email address to open the account.
