Bangor’s Government Operations Committee received a detailed Community Connector fare study presentation in December 2025 outlining rising operating costs, fare policy changes, and major pain points with paper tickets and passes. The consultant (FourSquare) and BACTS planner described a phased implementation approach and noted that staff had already drafted the scope of work for a fare technology RFP to procure a new system (e.g., mobile ticketing, fare capping, back-office tools). The City now needs a fare technology vendor and potentially related implementation support to modernize fare collection, reduce manual handling, and improve rider experience. This is a strong pre-RFP signal: requirements are identified, the scope is drafted, and the next step is issuing the solicitation and evaluating vendors. Fare system, payment, and transit technology firms can position now around mobile ticketing, validators, integrations with existing systems, and change management for riders and staff.

Fare changes will likely include increased fares tied to service improvements and possibly fare capp...