# RIPTA Wave — Official RIPTA Wave App > Mobile app for purchasing and using RIPTA public transit fares. (iPhone/iPad app by Bytemark, Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ripta-wave/id1490019520 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Bytemark, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/925346607) - Category: Travel - Price: Free - Rating: 1.53/5 from 217 App Store ratings · 82 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 10.0 · 91 MB - Languages: Khmer, English, French, Italian, Lao, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, Chinese - Released: 2020-08-31 - Data updated: 2026-07-26 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ripta-wave/id1490019520/reviews.md ## What is RIPTA Wave? With the new RIPTA Wave App, you can securely purchase RIPTA fares in seconds. Purchasing fares is easy: enter your payment card information, load money onto your Wave account, and your smartphone is your ticket to ride! RIPTA also offers one-way, Day and Monthly passes for use on all services. When ready to board the bus, open the app, and scan it under the validator. Never lose your fare product again! Once you load money into your Wave account, it will always be available to use. Need to replace your phone? No problem -- we can easily transfer your balance. 
Features: • Earn As You Go – You no longer have to purchase a Day Pass or Monthly Pass upfront. Each time you ride, gets you closer to earning a Day or Monthly Pass. • Secure ticket purchasing with your credit or debit card • Your smartphone is your ticket to ride • Never lose your fare – account balance and passes can be easily transferred if your phone is lost or stolen ## Key features - Secure fare purchasing - Smartphone as ticket - Earn As You Go fare system - Transferable fare balance - One-way, Day, and Monthly passes ## What do users think of RIPTA Wave? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - ✅ Convenient contactless payment option - 🎯 Ride-to-earn feature allows flexible payment - 📱 No need to carry physical cards - 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing interface design - ⚙️ Auto-purchase functionality available **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing - 💸 Minimum $5-$6 charge requirement (fare is only $2) - 🔐 Constant login and authentication issues - 💰 Money disappears or fails to load on virtual cards - ❌ QR code scanner doesn't work reliably - 🚫 Random logout without warning - ⚠️ Charges debit card but fails to verify payment - 🔄 Multiple virtual cards created unintentionally - 📵 App unavailable for Samsung users - 🚌 Bus drivers unprepared to handle app failures - 🆘 Poor customer service and support response - 💳 Credit card payment not accepted - 🔗 Funds inaccessible after phone changes - 📊 Balance discrepancies and calculation errors - 🎫 Day passes and transfers don't register correctly **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes on startup and during payment - QR code scanner fails to read barcodes - Random logout without user action - Payment verification fails despite successful charge - Virtual cards created unexpectedly - Funds load to wrong virtual card - Balance shows as zero despite loaded funds - Day passes and transfers fail to register - App freezes when attempting to sign in - Card information cannot be edited - API errors throughout application - App doesn't open after updates - Scanning issues on newer iPhone models - Inaccessible funds after reinstalling app - Monthly pass unlinks after app downtime - Slow performance and connection issues **Most requested features** - Integration with Apple Wallet and Apple Pay - Support for Samsung devices - One-way ticket option instead of only day/monthly passes - Transfer pass availability in app (currently bus-only) - Credit card payment option - Ability to remove or consolidate virtual cards - Web-based payment alternative when app fails - Better scanning with brightness adjustment assistance - Automatic physical card fallback for app failures - Integration with existing Transit app instead of separate app - Reduced minimum charge amount ## Recent user reviews (10 of 82) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ripta-wave/id1490019520/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Glitches *2026-03-05* The app is usually functional but it will randomly log you out with little hope of getting back in. You gotta hope the drivers are nice enough to let you on or else you’re out of luck for traveling. Also will randomly eat your fare even when you’re supposed to have transfer time. It sometimes doesn’t register a day pass, which means you sometimes have to pay more than the day fee because the app doesn’t actually count the fare correctly. ### 1/5 — RIPTA YA OFF! *2026-01-15* What up RIPTA? How come I gotta give you five dollars minimum on this goofy application that only works when I remember to charge my phone when you just cost two dollars for a ride. Why do you want so much money?? Why don’t you take credit card like they do in Massachusetts? It seems crazy that I gotta come up with the only kind of exact change money (no Pennie’s!) are you just going to help yourself to all the rest if the only thing I have is a $10 bill. This is crazy. **Developer response:** Hello, Please reach out to our customer service team https://www.ripta.com/contact-us/. We will be happy to look into your account. ### 1/5 — Took My Money - No Ticket *2026-01-13* When attempting to add my debit card as a payment method, the app charged my card $1 but "failed to verify" my card information. Tried a second time, same result. I'm $2 down and unable to buy tickets because the app, which has successfully charged my card, has failed to verify that the card it *just charged* exists. **Developer response:** Hello, Please reach out to our customer service team https://www.ripta.com/contact-us/. We will be happy to look into your account. ### 1/5 — Trash *2025-11-13, version 4.026* Whoever made this app probably had autism and forgot how apps work ### 1/5 — Unnecessary AND bad *2025-08-18* This app is required to pay any fares that aren’t in cash. Ok - fine….but there is already an app called transit that most metro transit systems use, heck, even this app references transit. Just let me pay through that instead of having to have yet another app to only pay for your system. Now - the paying part is the worst. Rides cost 2 bucks…can I add 2 dollars to this card? Heck no…5 is the minimum. What if I only take 1 ride? There is an “Other” button for adding value, but you can’t add less than $5. Even if I do a round trip as a visitor, you are stealing a dollar from me. Please, if you are going to allow “Other” as a value - let that value be the amount of a fare. ### 3/5 — Minimum $5 charge is unfriendly to tourists *2025-07-02, version 4.026* Bus fare is $2, even a round trip is only $4. Having to register for an account and then $5 minimums is super unfriendly to people from out of town. ### 1/5 — B *2025-06-26, version 4.026* They need to put a Porto potty near the bus stop you have wet pants ### 1/5 — The current Update is having issues with logging in and creating accounts… plus more. *2025-05-12* The app will crash anytime you try to sign in. I had an issue as well where I added funds to my card, and they created a completely different virtual card that the funds got added to.. an unusable card. Extremely frustrating, and I’ve been waiting since February 21, 2025 for an update. I currently can’t use the buses since I do not have cash, and this app is broken. **Developer response:** Hello, Please reach out to our customer service team https://www.ripta.com/contact-us/. We will be happy to look into your account. ### 5/5 — It’s, well ok and that’s it *2025-04-30* Works well to scan and reload tickets to get onto the bus - sometimes it crashes and I have encountered loading issues but nothing substantial and never when I was boarding the bus so it hasn’t been an issue- an ok app if you don’t want to carry around cards and/or just carry your phone around. Alert for first time users though, always hold the phone below the black line for it to scan, as well as having your phone on full brightness to help it scan easier and get on your way! **Developer response:** Thank you for your review. We understand that at times, crashes have occurred. This has been documented, and future solutions are being tested. ### 4/5 — It’s, well ok and that’s it *2025-04-18* Works well to scan and reload tickets to get onto the bus - sometimes it crashes and I have encountered loading issues but nothing substantial and never when I was boarding the bus so it hasn’t been an issue- an ok app if you don’t want to carry around cards and/or just carry your phone around. ## Frequently asked questions about RIPTA Wave ### What is the RIPTA Wave app? The RIPTA Wave app allows you to securely purchase and manage your public transit fares for RIPTA services. You can load money onto your Wave account and use your smartphone as your ticket to ride, eliminating the need for physical passes. ### How do I purchase fares with the app? To purchase fares, you will enter your payment card information into the app to load money onto your Wave account. Once loaded, your smartphone acts as your ticket, and you can scan it under the validator when boarding the bus. ### What types of passes can I buy? The app offers one-way fares, Day Passes, and Monthly Passes for use on all RIPTA services. Additionally, the 'Earn As You Go' feature means you get closer to earning a Day or Monthly Pass with each ride, without needing to purchase them upfront. ### What happens if I lose my phone? You never have to worry about losing your fare product. Once money is loaded into your Wave account, it is always available. If you need to replace your phone, your balance and passes can be easily transferred to a new device. ### Is the app free to use? The app itself is free to download and use. You will incur costs when purchasing fares or passes through the app, which are then loaded onto your Wave account for transit use. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 4.026 — 2021-01-12 New manage fare medium features Language support for Italian, French, Lao and Khmer ### 4.016 — 2020-09-04 App name update ### 4.015 — 2020-09-01 No release notes. ## More apps by Bytemark, Inc. - [NY Waterway](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ny-waterway/id447641721) - [South Shore](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/south-shore/id868220002) - [MassDOT BusPlus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/massdot-busplus/id1046116334) - [UP Express](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/up-express/id1047318820) - [Breeze Mobile](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breeze-mobile/id1092622810) - [Passage: Transit Ticketing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/passage-transit-ticketing/id1129525054) All apps by Bytemark, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/925346607 ## Related topics [ripta wave](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ripta-wave) · [ripta](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ripta) · [rhode island transit](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rhode-island-transit) · [ripta bus](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ripta-bus) · [wave bus](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wave-bus) · [wave bus pass](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wave-bus-pass) · [flex ripta](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/flex-ripta) · [ripta ride](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ripta-ride) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-26.*