Starting Tuesday, the Butler Transit Authority will introduce a reusable, plastic smart card in place of paper passes.

Riders will be charged a $5 fee to get a smart card, except from Tuesday through June 1, when the cards will be free.

Cards may be bought at the downtown bus station at 113 E. Cunningham St., according to Kelly Stewart, public relations manager for the Butler Transit Authority.

The cards can hold up to $200 in cash value, and the consumer may protect the card's value in case it is lost or stolen by calling the authority at 724-283-1783 to register it.

In addition to the introduction of the ConnectCard, the authority is replacing the 12-trip discount pass, available for $12, with a seven-day pass. The seven-day pass allows unlimited riding for $15, Stewart said.

Youth, student and Butler County Community College passes must be purchased from terminal staff, but all other cards can be purchased at ConnectCard machines, which currently only accept exact cash.

One card cannot be used for multiple people, meaning that individual riders must pay their own fare using separate cards.

Currently, cards can only be reloaded at the main terminal on East Cunningham Street. But in the future, the authority said passengers will be able to add money to the card online.

The switch to the plastic smart cards from paper passes should not cost the authority anything extra, said John Paul, authority executive director.

In fact, he hopes the switch will attract more riders and therefore increase the authority's revenue.

The move to the ConnectCards is part of a regional fare system in southwestern Pennsylvania, Stewart said. “(Passengers) can use that exact same card in Pittsburgh, and it will deduct from the card's cash value,” she said.

These ConnectCard passes will be transferable with the Port Authority of Allegheny County, Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation, Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority, City of Washington and the Westmoreland County Transit Authority.