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New deadline: cash payments on municipal buses will no longer be accepted starting June 28th.
Published on 29/05/2026 - 11:51 | Updated on 29/05/2026 - 13:39
The city government will continue advancing in the modernization of the municipal ticketing system - Iago Campos The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere, and the municipal secretary of Transportation, Jorge Arraes, announced this Friday (May 29th) the postponement to June 28th of the start of the operation that will no longer allow cash payments on municipal buses, nor the integration of the single-use (green) card with the benefits of the Bilhete Único Carioca (BUC) and Bilhete Único Margaridas (BUM), in compliance with a court decision. Furthermore, payment via PIX will be expanded to the entire city bus fleet starting this Saturday (May 30th).
– We are very confident and calm with a date 100% confirmed by the Justice system to conclude this gradual transition. The decision confirms this process that the city hall has been facing to end the "black box" of transportation, guarantee more transparency to the system and more security for passengers and drivers. At the same time, it extends the deadline for the population to adapt, with more access to recharge points and the ability to purchase cards with cash – stated Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.
The measure complies with the court's decision, which again recognized the legality of the change, but determined an extension of the operational transition period for the changes in the payment system. The decision was presented during a press conference held at the Operations and Resilience Center (COR), where the city hall also detailed the new payment methods of the Jaé system, the expansion of the service network, and the initial results of the operation via PIX in the validators installed on municipal buses.
Even with the extension of the deadline, the city hall informed that it will continue advancing in the modernization of the municipal ticketing system. Contactless payments with debit and credit cards will enter a testing phase starting on June 15th, with gradual expansion until the end of the same month.
Currently, around 95% of municipal bus fares are paid without cash, consolidating a change in passenger behavior and expanding operational and financial control of the network.
The gradual removal of cash on board aims to reduce the risk of robberies, speed up boarding, eliminate the dual role of drivers, and increase transparency regarding public subsidies paid to transportation.
Adoption of the digital system is growing.
Data presented by the Municipal Department of Transportation (SMTR) shows that the system registered a 300% increase in new digital registrations after the announcement of the changes. There was a peak of 12 registrations in a single day and a daily average of 7 new users.
PIX on buses
Another highlight was the assessment of the first days of operation of PIX payments directly on the bus validators.
The system was initially tested on line 634 (Bananal x Saens Peña) and showed positive results. In the last 48 hours, more than 1.500 passengers were transferred using the tool, with an average transaction time of 27 seconds.
– The results of the operation of line 634 show that the population has embraced the new system: we had a 20% reduction in travel time, an almost 4% increase in the number of passengers, and no complaints or disruptions recorded. What started as a pilot program already demonstrates that the system works in practice and improves the passenger experience – highlighted Secretary Jorge Arraes.
The physical network is expanded with sales at newsstands.
The city hall also presented the results of the first week of sales of the single-use green card at newsstands in the city. By Wednesday (May 28), 374 newsstands had already been registered for the sale and recharging of the cards, expanding the physical access points to the Jaé system.
With the expansion, the city went from 1.090 to 1.464 active service points, with projections to exceed 1.800 points in the coming weeks.
In addition to the kiosks, passengers currently have access to 90 BRT system ticket offices, 750 accredited points in commercial establishments, and 250 self-service machines installed in BRT, VLT, metro, and airport stations.
The municipality also reiterated that cash will continue to be accepted for purchases and topping up Jaé cards at authorized locations.
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