Trouble tagging on with a travel pass

If you have a valid travel pass but can’t tag on, this may be because your Snapper has an IOU or a penalty fare. You won’t be able to tag on if you have an IOU or a penalty fare on your Snapper, regardless of what bus service or zone you are tagging on in, until you top up your Snapper balance by at least the amount of the IOU or the penalty fare.

If you want to use a bus or rail service not covered by your travel pass, you’ll need to make sure you have money loaded onto your Snapper so you can travel.

We strongly recommend you always have a few dollars loaded onto your Snapper, even when you regularly use a travel pass. That way, if your travel pass runs out unexpectedly, you’ll still be able to travel, and you’ll be able to use other services not covered by your pass.

Other reasons why might not be able to tag on include: your Snapper is broken, or you waved it around or held it too far from the Snapper reader. Remember to hold your Snapper flat and still to the Snapper reader when tagging on and tagging off, until you hear the confirmation beep and see the green confirmation circle on the reader.