Calgary, Alberta, Canada is home to North America’s second-busiest light rail system, called the C-Train. The easiest way to get around Calgary on the C-Train, or by bus, is to buy your tickets using the Calgary Transit app, called My Fare. However, the Calgary Transit app is anything but intuitive, especially if you’re just visiting the city. That’s why I thought it would be helpful to write a complete, easy-to-understand guide to using the Calgary Transit App.
The last few times I’ve used the Calgary Transit app to buy tickets, I took screenshots of each step of the process, and also of the buses and C-Trains I used to make my journey. Follow along with me as I show you how to use the Calgary Transit app to buy and use tickets for the city’s public transportation network, and let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about getting around Calgary on public transit.
1. Download the Calgary Transit App – My Fare
My Fare is the official Calgary Transit app for buying tickets. You can download it from the App Store or Google Play. I recommend downloading the app before your trip to Calgary.
2. Buy a Transit Ticket
The Calgary Transit App sells three types of tickets:
- Tickets for a single trip (valid for 90 minutes)
- Day passes (valid until 2:00 am the next day)
- Monthly passes
All three can be purchased individually or in multiples by switching between the two tabs I circled in pink.
If you are traveling in a small group or family one person can buy all of the tickets or passes for the entire group, or each person can manage their own tickets on their personal phone. The app has a daily limit of ten single tickets and four day passes per day, so if you needed more than that for your group then you’d need to split the purchase between several phones.
You can pay for your tickets with Apple Pay, Google Pay or a credit card in the app. The tickets are not activated immediately upon purchase – keep reading!
The last time I took Calgary Transit from the airport to the city center I just needed a single ticket, so that will be my example for the rest of this guide.
3. Wait for the C-Train or Bus to Approach
As I mentioned, when you use the Calgary Transit app to buy a ticket or day pass, it won’t be activated immediately upon purchase. The best time to activate the ticket is when you can see the correct bus or train approaching the stop, as that is when your clock (either 90 minutes or one day) will start ticking.
4. Open Your Ticket Wallet
The inactive Calgary Transit tickets that you purchased in Step 2 will be waiting for you in the Ticket Wallet section of the app. When you see your bus or train approaching, open the Ticket Wallet.
5. Activate Your Ticket in the Calgary Transit App
To activate your Calgary Transit ticket or day pass, click on the green “Activate Ticket” button shown above, on the right. As soon as you click that button, your ticket will become valid, a scannable QR code will appear (it will be constantly changing – that’s normal!) and you’ll see a countdown showing how much validity is left.
6. Scan Your Ticket
New for 2025, you now have to scan your in-app ticket on both the bus and before boarding the train. Here’s how.
Scan Your Ticket on the Bus
Calgary Transit buses board passengers through the front doors only. As you get on the bus, you will scan the QR code from your active ticket on the scanner, shown above. If you change to a different bus, you’ll scan the same ticket again as you board.
Scan Your Ticket Before Boarding the Train
If you’re riding the C-Train in Calgary, you now need to scan your activated ticket before boarding the train.
Look for the yellow scanner (shown above) somewhere on the platform, before you get on the train. Scan your active ticket’s QR code on the scanner before you get on the train.
There are no scanners on board the train, so make sure you do this on the platform or in the station (depending on the location of the scanner).
7. Don’t Let Your Ticket Expire!
The app lets you know how much time is left on your ticket. My personal experience is that for C-Trains, your ticket needs to be valid until you exit the last station of your journey, as that is where the ticket inspectors are likely to be located. For buses, since the check is when you board, your ticket only needs to be valid at the time you get on the bus.
Tickets that haven’t been activated expire after seven days, so don’t buy too many tickets in advance unless you’re sure you’re going to use them. Personally, I buy one ticket at a time.
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Calgary Transit Tips
Here are a few tips to make your journey on Calgary Transit easier:
- The My Fare app is just for buying Calgary Transit tickets. If you need to plan your route, the best app is Google Maps.
- Calgary has a free fare zone in the city center. For C-Trains only, no payment is needed to travel between the Downtown West / Kerby station and the City Hall Station, on either the blue or red train line. This area includes many of the most popular tourist attractions in Calgary.
- If you can’t download or use the app, you can buy tickets from the vending machines on any C-Train platform and at the bus stop at the Calgary International Airport.
- You can also buy a ticket on the bus by depositing exact change into the box by the driver. Ask for “a transfer” and you’ll receive a paper ticket valid for 90 minutes, in case you decide to change to another bus or the C-Train.
- You can’t buy tickets on board a C-Train, so use the vending machines at the station.
- You can also buy booklets containing ten paper tickets at most convenience stores and supermarkets in the city.
- Post-secondary students attending University of Calgary, SAIT, Mount Royal University, Alberta University of the Arts, and St. Mary’s University receive a U-Pass, giving them free transit use during their academic semesters.
- While Calgary Transit is generally safe, you can discreetly text 74100 if you see a safety concern on board (such as open drug or alcohol use, or belligerent and threatening behavior).
Don’t miss my guides to the best hotels in Calgary and my recommended self-guided walking tour of downtown Calgary.
Planning a trip to Calgary? Pin this post for later!
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