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OC Bus

Frequently Asked Questions

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Use this page to familiarize yourself with the features of the new OC Bus App. Remember, you can always access your account at MobileSales.octa.net. If you still have questions, please call our Customer Information Center at 714-636-7433 (RIDE).

App Basics

Android phones running an operating system of 4.46.0 and above and iPhones running an operating system of 13 and above (some devices running a lower operating system may be able to use the app, but the app might perform at a slower speed or some features may not be supported.)

There are three ways to create an account:
  1. When you launch the OC Bus app - you will see a prompt to create an account.
  2. If you attempt to make a purchase from within the OC Bus app without having set up an account, you will see a message under payments to sign in or create an account.
  3. Visit our online portal and click "Create Account" on the landing page to set up your account online.

There are three ways to create an account:

When you launch the OC Bus App – you will see a prompt to create an account.
If you attempt to make a purchase from within the OC Bus app without having set up an account, you will see a message under payments to sign in or create an account
Visit our online portal and click “Create Account” on the landing page to set up your account online.There are three ways to create an account:

  1. When you launch the OC Bus App – you will see a prompt to create an account.
  2. If you attempt to make a purchase from within the OC Bus app without having set up an account, you will see a message under payments to sign in or create an account
  3. Visit our online portal and click “Create Account” on the landing page to set up your account online.

An account is required so that OCTA can look up your account information to better serve you in case you encounter any difficulties. Plus, if you purchase day or monthly passes you'll be able to transfer your passes to a different device if you have lost or replaced your phone. Also, having an account makes it easier to pay for your next trip on OC Bus!

"Create an account" is for riders who are new to the OC Bus Mobile App.

"Sign in" is for riders who have already created an account in the OC Bus Mobile App.

After signing in, click on "My Account" in the top navigation menu and select "Change Password" from the left-hand menu.

Users have the option of entering their real name or a nickname into the "full name" field when creating your account.

Visit our online portal. After signing in, select "My Account," and then select "Your Profile." Here you can edit all of the personal information associated with your account. Don't forget to select "Save" when you are done! If you need assistance, call OC Bus Customer Information Center at 714-636-7433 (RIDE).

No, the mobile phone number associated with an OC Bus App account is a unique identifier, and can only be used with one OC Bus App account.

Purchasing Passes

Yes. All users must download the OC Bus App and create an account in order to make a purchase. You can also make a purchase, manage your account, and view your purchase history by logging into our online portal with your user name and password.

You must use a valid Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express card to purchase passes using the OC Bus App or our online portal. OC Bus Mobile also accepts prepaid debit cards and Transit Benefit Cards.

Go to the Setting menu located at the bottom right of the app. Then scroll down to Payment Methods under the Personal menu. In Payment Methods, tap “Add New Payment Method” at the bottom of the screen to add debit and credit card information as well as set up your account with the Apple Pay or Google Pay account information.

Yes. Your account can store multiple payment methods. Simply select “Add New Payment Method” at the bottom of the screen.

No, you cannot split payments between multiple debit/credit cards at this time. Each transaction can only be made using one payment card at a time.

Once the payment is authorized, the purchase is processed immediately.

First, confirm you have the correct debit/credit card details registered, such as zip code and security code on the back. If these are correct, and the card still declined, you will need to contact your bank for further assistance.

All personal and credit card information are stored on a securely encrypted Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant server hosted by PayPal.

Passes should be purchased any time before boarding an OC Bus, as long as you have a cellular network or wireless connection. When purchasing individual bus passes, be aware that these passes can be used up to 1 year after the original purchase date.

Yes, you will need a cellular network or wireless connection to purchase passes on your mobile device. However, once you have purchased passes, you do not need a network or wireless connection to use a pass because they are stored directly on your phone.

Check your junk/spam email folder for the confirmation email. You should be able to see your purchase under "Tickets" in the OC Bus App (make sure to refresh the app) or on our online portal. If the passes do not appear under "Tickets," you can check your "Purchase History" under the Settings menu to confirm that the pass purchase was processed.

All unused OC Bus passes are valid up to one year after purchase.

Customers can purchase up to 20 tickets at one time and there is no limit to the number of passes you may store.

There is currently no limit to the number of transactions you can make in one day.

Yes, if you have a valid OCTA issued College, Senior or Disabled Reduced Fare ID card or online number, you will have access to purchasing your reduced fares on the OC Bus App.

Using Passes

Open the OC Bus App on your phone, and select "Tickets" from the menu on the bottom for iPhones or upper left menu on Android phones. Select any of the passes listed under "Available", then select the "Activate" button on use the pass.

If there are no passes displayed, click on the “Store” button to purchase passes. Once purchased, they will appear in your "Tickets" menu.

Make sure your bus pass is activated and ready to scan with the on-board validator before boarding. You should activate your bus pass for the first time while you are waiting for your bus. When you enter the bus, place your activated pass with the QR code facing up directly under the on-board validator.

When you activate a pass, a screen with a QR code will display, this is the screen you scan under the on-board validator. If you tap the x at the bottom right of that screen, you will see a new screen with the name of the pass you activated and bus icons that will move from the bottom left of the pass to the top right of the pass. When you tap the “Back” button, your ticket will appear in the “Active” window under the “Tickets” menu.

Yes, all passengers must enter the bus through the front doors at all times.

Yes, you can purchase multiple passes of a single fare or different fares by selecting the number of passes for each fare type in the "Store" menu. To purchase multiple passes, select "Rider Type", then select the passes you wish to purchase and the number of passes you wish to purchase by tapping the + next to the number, then tap “Add to Cart”. When you are finished, tap the cart in the upper right corner to checkout.

Yes. Buying and using passes for multiple riders on a single device is a great benefit of the OC Bus App. To activate multiple passes at a time, tap each pass you want to use, when you have tapped all passes, tap the “Activate” button at the bottom, it should indicate the number of passes you wish to activate. When using multiple passes, the QR code that you scan on the on board validator will have all the passes you activated encoded in the one QR code.

No. OCTA personnel are instructed not to touch a customer’s device. If a bus operator requests that you activate the animated ticket, tap the small X at the bottom right-hand corner of the active ticket. To dismiss the animated ticket, tap the small QR code at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and it will display the QR code for scanning.

Some phones using older operating systems may not work as fast as newer phones. If you have an older phone, please be sure to give yourself plenty of time to activate the pass before you enter an OC Bus. You should also check to make sure you don’t have too many applications open on your phone at one time. This can also impact the performance of the app.

Yes, the expiration date and time is displayed on the bottom of the pass. If your pass expires it will move to the “History” menu under Tickets. You may not board another OC Bus without activating a new pass.

In the event that this should occur you would be required to purchase another pass for your travel, same as any other pass.

Tap on the animated pass and the pass will change colors. Tapping again returns the pass to its original state.

You are responsible for showing proof of valid fare upon request by a bus operator. Only a visible, active pass will be considered a valid form of fare payment. If your phone battery dies and you are unable to display an active purchased OC Bus Mobile pass, you will be required to pay the cash fare.

Phone Related Questions

OC Bus mobile passes are stored on your phone, which makes it possible to use them without an Internet connection. Therefore, you will need to transfer any remaining passes from your old phone to your online account before resetting your phone, uninstalling the OC Bus App, or installing or logging into the app on a new device. Note: Active tickets cannot be transferred.

Your passes are stored on your phone, which makes it possible to use them without an Internet connection. Therefore, you will need to transfer any remaining passes from your old phone to your online account before resetting or upgrading your phone. Note: Active passes cannot be transferred.

To transfer passes to another phone, please follow the instructions below. Log into your account at https://mobilesales.octa.net

On your phone
  1. Go to the "Tickets" menu
  2. Select the ticket you want to transfer
  3. Tap the 3 dots to the right of the pass name
  4. Select "Move to Cloud"
  5. The pass will then be moved to your account in the cloud
  6. To place on your new device, go to the ticket and tap "Move to device"
On the online portal:
Log into your account at online portal
  1. Go to "My Account"
  2. Select "Pass History"
  3. Select the pass you want to transfer.
  4. Select "Send to device"
  5. Your pass will now be available on your mobile device for use.

If your phone was lost or stolen, call OC Bus Customer Information Center at 714-636-7433 (RIDE) for assistance with locking your phone and/or transferring passes to a new phone.

No. OC Bus mobile tickets are non-refundable.

Try logging out of the app and logging back in. Then try powering off your phone and turning it back on. Do not delete the OC Bus Mobile application application. If you have stored passes, deleting the application will also delete your passes.

Online Purchase

Yes. When purchasing passes via the online portal website, the passes will automatically be downloaded to your phone.

Upon completing a website purchase, if you do not immediately see the passes in the "Tickets" screen, refresh the screen, and your passes will appear. If the passes do not appear under "Tickets", you can check your "Pass History" on the online portal, to confirm that the pass purchase was processed.

Other Questions

Currently, the mobile app will only be available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, however OC Bus is exploring offering different languages in the future.

Currently, there is no voice to text option, but the app will be compatible with VoiceOver on iOS and Talkback on Android.

Yes, the OC Bus Mobile app supports different font sizes that are set by the individual device. Both Voiceover and Talkback are also available.

Passes must be bought using a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, however they can be launched offline as they are stored on the app rather than in the cloud.

The OC Bus App is designed for phones. While the app may download to tablets or iPods, it is not optimized for those platforms and will likely not perform correctly.