LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
Photo by Fred Camino via Flickr
Los Angeles County has finally caught up with other big cities where you can buy a card, fill it up with money and use it like a debit card on buses and Metro rail lines. That means no more making sure you have the correct change or worrying if the credit card machine will work (but you can still do that if you want).
Eventually, the new TAP Cards should work on most all transit lines in the county, including DASH and others, but it only works on Metro and Culver City Bus for now.
There's one problem, though, about all of this: you can't buy a TAP card at a station (except Union Station) until sometime in 2009 when they'll be available at rail machines. In the meantime there are various locations--mostly liquor stores--to pick one up at.