Terms and Conditions

Effective: October 1, 2022

CONNECT General Terms of Service

The Spokane Transit Authority (“STA”) has introduced a new Fare Collection System called CONNECT which allows you (the “User”) to pay the fare to ride STA services using a “CONNECT card”, through the “CONNECT mobile app”, or the CONNECT website at www.staconnectcard.com (“Website”) (collectively, “CONNECT”). This CONNECT User Agreement (“Agreement”) and STA’s Privacy Policy (https://www.spokanetransit.com/privacy-policy) (“Privacy Policy”) (collectively, the “Terms of Service”) govern your registration, access to, and use of CONNECT.

By accessing CONNECT on any computer, mobile phone, tablet, console, or other device, or through use of an electronic fare card, you represent and affirm that you are at least thirteen (13) years of age, or you affirm that you have parental consent and have reviewed the Terms of Service with a parent or guardian, and agree to be bound by the Terms of Service, whether or not you are a registered User. If you are using CONNECT on behalf of any entity, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to accept, and agree to be bound by, the Terms of Service on behalf of yourself and the entity you represent.

STA reserves the right to change the Terms of Service and any associated policies at any time by providing written notice on the Website. Your continued use of CONNECT shall be considered your acceptance to the revised Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service, please do not use CONNECT.

The Terms of Service govern your use of all electronic services offered by STA, including services offered through its website, mobile applications (“Apps”) and other electronic services (collectively, the “Services”). The Services are not a forum for public communication and debate, but a means for STA to provide information relating to STA services, programs, objectives, missions, and projects to the public and its customers.

You agree to our use of your personal information and content in accordance with the Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. Please note that STA is a public agency and is subject to public records laws.

Card Acquisition and Registration

STA may require a nonrefundable fee for passengers wishing to acquire a CONNECT card. The fee shall not exceed $5.00 (five dollars only) USD. CONNECT cards may be purchased, and fare products added to CONNECT accounts via the STA website and mobile app, STA’s Customer Service Center, by calling 509-328-RIDE, and on www.staconnectcard.com, as well as at participating retail outlets regionwide (“Retailer”). Card and fare product availability varies by sales location or method. Additionally, a virtual CONNECT card, for use with mobile devices, may be acquired through the CONNECT mobile app.

Registration is strongly encouraged when purchasing a CONNECT card through www.staconnectcard.com, via 509-328-RIDE, or via the CONNECT mobile app to access all of the features available through accounts. CONNECT cards acquired through other sales channels may also be registered at www.staconnectcard.com, by calling 509-328-RIDE, via the CONNECT mobile app, or by visiting STA’s Customer Service Center. Registration allows Users to 1) reload their cards on the CONNECT mobile app, 2) set up autoload (see below), 3) protect their balance in the event their CONNECT card is lost or stolen, and 4) manage multiple CONNECT cards (maximum of twenty (20) cards per account).

CONNECT card Users who opt not to register shall be required to pay the above-mentioned fee and will not receive the benefits of registration. Whether or not a User pays a fee or participates in the registration program, the CONNECT card shall be the property of STA and may be revoked and/or confiscated by STA.

Participants in any special fare programs, which include but are not limited to reduced fare riders, student and Universal Transit Access Pass (UTAP) users, and customers receiving benefits from an employer or other third party, are considered registered in CONNECT only as it pertains to the ability to replace a lost or stolen CONNECT card. Other benefits of account registration as described above will require a separate registration by the cardholder via www.staconnectcard.com, the CONNECT mobile app, by calling 509-328-RIDE, or at STA’s Customer Service Center.

You are responsible for any activity that occurs under your account. Keep your User ID and account password secure and do not allow anyone else to use them to access CONNECT. You are responsible for maintaining the security and confidentiality of your User ID and account password. You are also solely responsible for all activities that occur through your User ID and account password. You agree not to access or use, or attempt to access or use, www.staconnectcard.com, the CONNECT mobile app, or any part of them by using the identity or the registration data of any person other than you. You agree to notify STA immediately of any unauthorized use of your User id or account password.

From time to time, you may receive an email message from STA asking you to log into CONNECT to confirm or update your account information. If such account information is not confirmed or updated, the account may be suspended by STA. Please read the Privacy Policy, which describes the personally identifiable information we collect, use, disclose, manage, and store. IMPORTANT: You can change or update your account information only through www.staconnectcard.com, the CONNECT mobile app, or by calling 509-328-RIDE. STA will use your email address only to create passwords. STA will never ask you to confirm or update other account information through a link in an email. If you receive an email message purportedly from STA asking you to click on a link to provide personal or credit card information, DO NOT DO IT as it is likely an attempt to obtain your personal information for fraudulent or other illegal purposes. If you receive such an email, please immediately report it to STA by calling STA’s Customer Service Center at 509-328-RIDE.

Available Fare Products

CONNECT cards support both pass products (day and monthly passes) and money for pay-as-you-go fare payment. CONNECT card fare payment shall be prioritized such that CONNECT system will validate a transit pass before money if both are loaded to a CONNECT card. A maximum of $100 may be loaded to a CONNECT card.

A CONNECT card with money may not be used to purchase an additional or replacement CONNECT card. A CONNECT card with money may not be used to purchase fare products or money to be loaded onto a different CONNECT card. Users may not redeem CONNECT cards for money or any product or service other than STA transit services.

Should the value on a CONNECT card become negative, the CONNECT card will be blocked from further use. Future CONNECT value loads to the CONNECT card will apply first to the negative balance with the remainder becoming the CONNECT card usable value.

Registered CONNECT cardholders can set up an autoload, which enables the system to automatically load money or passes onto your CONNECT card. By authorizing autoload, you authorize STA to charge your payment card when the account value drops below a defined threshold, or in the case of Shuttle Park passes, five (5) days before the current pass expiration. Users may opt to disable autoload at any time.

Retailers

The sale of a new CONNECT card at a Retailer is final, and no refunds will be made by the Retailer. The Retailer does not sell CONNECT cards that require proof of age or other eligibility. The Retailer, not STA, is responsible for the collection, storage, transmittal, safekeeping, and use of payments and information provided to the Retailer to add value to a CONNECT card or to buy a new CONNECT card. The Retailer is not able to block and replace lost, stolen, damaged, or defective CONNECT cards.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Cards

Users shall take reasonable care of the CONNECT card to protect it from damage, defacement, destruction, or loss of any kind. Should a registered CONNECT card be lost, stolen, or damaged, the authorized cardholder will have the ability to transfer the balance from the lost, stolen, or damaged CONNECT card to a new CONNECT card. An unregistered User shall have no right to balance protection. A replacement fee of $5 will be charged to replace a lost, stolen or damaged CONNECT card.

Fare Payment/Account Validation

You must have an activated and valid fare before boarding any STA vehicles. An activated and valid fare is defined as receiving a successful validation upon tapping a CONNECT card or scanning a CONNECT mobile app code at an STA validating device. Each CONNECT validation is valid only for one boarding on any individual bus. Transfer to another bus requires another CONNECT media validation, though this action will not incur a charge if within two (2) hours of the first validation (excluding UTAP participants). Passengers who fail to validate their CONNECT card or CONNECT mobile app, as required, may be deemed to not be in possession of a valid fare consistent with the policies of STA and will be subject to the following actions, including but not limited to, citation and exclusion for failure to exhibit proof of payment.

When using the CONNECT mobile app, it is your responsibility to use a charged and properly operating mobile device with Internet connectivity to access and use the CONNECT mobile app. You are solely responsible at all times for the proper functioning of your mobile phone to show proof of payment.

All CONNECT cardholders boarding any STA bus and paying the fare using value on a CONNECT card will have the applicable fare cost deducted from the CONNECT card’s account value when a farebox or platform validator is tapped. Users must present their CONNECT card to the appropriate validation device just prior to (at a platform validator) or upon boarding of a bus (onboard validator).

For all STA services, the maximum value that can be debited from your CONNECT balance will be capped at the maximum daily and monthly fare for transit services, as applicable, in effect at the time the validations are made.

Each rider must have a separate CONNECT fare media (CONNECT card, CONNECT mobile app, ticket) for validation and use of STA services. CONNECT cards are not transferable.

Inspection and Use of CONNECT Cards

Users who fail to present their CONNECT card while entering transit services in the manner described above will be deemed to not be in possession of valid fare and subject to applicable fines and penalties.

Users must produce the CONNECT card or CONNECT mobile app or a paper ticket issued by STA for inspection by authorized STA personnel or their designated agents. The CONNECT card and CONNECT mobile app are authorized fare payment methods on STA’s services, or any transportation service that is part of the STA system. Any nonauthorized use of CONNECT card or CONNECT mobile app is strictly forbidden. You understand that you will be subject to the following actions, including but not limited to, citation and exclusion for failure to exhibit proof of fare payment.

Reduced Fare customers must maintain custody of their Reduced Fare CONNECT card. Reduced Fare CONNECT cards are not transferable. Use by anyone other than the assigned User may result in suspension or termination of the CONNECT card. The cardholder photo presented at the time of application for reduced fare eligibility may be printed on the User’s CONNECT card and will be stored in CONNECT. Reduced fare customers whose photo is not printed on their reduced fare CONNECT card are required to carry photo ID for proof of eligibility.

Upon termination and return of the User’s CONNECT card, the User is not entitled to a refund of any remaining value or products. Following termination, the User will remain responsible for payment of amounts owed under this Agreement. If the User’s money balance is insufficient to cover the outstanding charges, the User will remain liable for all such amounts. If such unpaid charges are not properly or promptly remitted, the User may become liable for additional service charges, fines, or penalties, in accordance with applicable law.

Refunds of CONNECT Money and Transit Products

All sales are final. Refunds will not be issued for transit pass products or money loaded onto a CONNECT card(s) or the CONNECT mobile app.

Resale of CONNECT Cards

The resale of any CONNECT products is strictly prohibited. STA offers no warranty on the continuing usability of any CONNECT card or pass that is resold.

Fare Payment and Legal Requirements

Use of STA transit services are subject to your payment of applicable fare charges and any applicable fees. Fare transactions may be regulated by certain federal, state, and local laws or regulations. You agree to comply with all laws applicable to using CONNECT, including but not limited to STA’s Rules of Conduct and other STA policies. You acknowledge that complying with all applicable laws is your responsibility. STA reserves the right, without refund of any amount paid, to prosecute and to impose any penalties allowed by applicable law, including but not limited to exclusion and citation, upon any person whose conduct violates STA policies or applicable law in purchasing tickets, accessing STA facilities or services, and riding STA vehicles. STA will comply with law enforcement officials and may provide them with all information you submit to us to assist in any investigation or prosecution they may conduct as allowed by state and federal law. You are solely responsible for any data charges or other charges you may be assessed by your mobile phone service provider. No purchase using CONNECT is redeemable for cash.

CONNECT complies with applicable Washington State Law for escheatment of unused E-purse value. E-purse value that has not been used in two years is eligible for escheatment. Notification of escheated value of $75 or more per CONNECT card, will be provided by STA annually beginning May 1 and the User may request the amount be refunded. STA reserves the right to validate the E-purse value to be refunded. If no action is taken by the User, the value eligible for escheatment will be reported as unclaimed property to the Washington State Department of Revenue. Any outstanding money owed by the User for unpaid non-sufficient fund transactions may be deducted from any escheated value on any CONNECT cards in use by the User.

Termination and Other Remedies

This Agreement shall remain effective until terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. STA reserves the right to modify or terminate this Agreement, and/or your access to and use of CONNECT, immediately without notice at any time and for any reason, with or without cause. Upon termination of this Agreement, your right to use CONNECT shall immediately cease, and you agree that you will destroy all content obtained from the CONNECT mobile app or Website and all copies thereof, whether made under this Agreement or otherwise. You agree that any termination of your access to or use of CONNECT may be affected without prior notice and that STA may immediately deactivate or delete your User ID and password, and all related information and files associated with your account, and/or bar any further access to such information or files. You agree that STA shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any termination of your access to CONNECT or to any such information or files and shall not be required to make such information or files available to you after any such termination.

Violations of this Agreement, including unauthorized use of CONNECT, may be investigated, and appropriate legal action may be taken, including without limitation civil, criminal, and injunctive action. You agree that monetary damages may not provide a sufficient remedy to STA for violations of this Agreement, and you consent to injunctive or other equitable relief for such violations. Additionally, STA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of CONNECT at any time, or to impose limits on certain features of CONNECT and to restrict access to any part or to all of CONNECT, without notice to you. STA shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any claim or cause of action arising out of its exercise of these rights.

All protective provisions of this Agreement shall survive termination, including but not limited to intellectual property protections, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

General Disclaimer

You acknowledge that you are responsible for obtaining and maintaining all telephone, computer hardware and other equipment needed to access and use CONNECT, and you are solely responsible for all charges related to those activities. You assume all responsibility and risk for your use of CONNECT and your reliance thereon. No opinion, advice, or statement of STA shall create any warranty. Your use of CONNECT and of any content provided through CONNECT are entirely at your own risk. You acknowledge and agree that neither STA nor its licensors are responsible for any contact or interaction between you and any other user of CONNECT and that you bear the sole risk of transmitting through CONNECT, any content, including payment information and information that identifies you or your location. The payment of a fare using CONNECT does not guarantee that transit service will be provided or available at the time scheduled or that transit service will be timely, available, not delayed, cancelled or changed as to time or location. Your use of CONNECT does not create a bailment or other liability for your personal property that you may bring on board a transit vehicle.

Warranty Disclaimer

To the fullest extent permissible pursuant to applicable law, STA and its licensors disclaim all warranties, express or implied, with respect to CONNECT, including without limitation implied warranties of title, non-infringement, accuracy, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and any warranties that may arise from course of dealing, course of performance, or usage of trade. Applicable law may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusions may not apply to you. Neither STA nor its employees, officers, licensors, or vendors warrant that your use of CONNECT will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure, that defects will be corrected, or that CONNECT, the Website, CONNECT mobile app and the server(s) on which they are hosted are free of viruses or other harmful components.

Limitation of Liability

Neither STA nor any of their affiliates, licensors, suppliers, advertisers or sponsors, nor their directors, officers, employees, consultants, agents, or other representatives (“System Providers”), are or will be responsible or liable to you or to any third party for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, punitive, or other damages (including without limitation damages for loss of business, loss of data or lost profits), under any contract, negligence, strict liability, or other theory arising out of or relating in any way to CONNECT and/or materials contained in CONNECT, to any linked website or to any product or service purchased. Without limiting the foregoing, you expressly acknowledge and agree that the System Providers shall have no liability or responsibility whatsoever for (a) personal injury or property damage, of any nature, whether arising in contract or in tort, resulting from your access to and use of CONNECT, including any claim, cause of action, obligation, liability, right, or remedy whether or not arising from the negligence of STA or the System Providers, (b) any unauthorized access to or use of our secure servers and/or any and all personal information and/or financial information stored therein, (c) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the Website, (d) any bugs, viruses, worms, trojan horses, defects, date bombs, time bombs, or other items of a destructive nature which may be transmitted to or through CONNECT by any third party, (e) any errors, mistakes, inaccuracies or omissions in any materials, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of CONNECT and any information posted, emailed, transmitted or otherwise made available via CONNECT, and/or (f) the failure of a transit system to honor a ticket. Your sole and exclusive remedy for dissatisfaction with CONNECT is to stop using CONNECT.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless STA, their affiliates, licensors, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, and contractors, and their respective directors, officers, employees, consultants, agents, and other representatives, from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and other expenses that arise directly or indirectly out of or from (a) your breach of this Agreement and/or (b) your activities in connection with CONNECT.

Interstate Nature of Communications

You acknowledge that, in using CONNECT, you will be causing communications to be sent through interstate telecommunications networks, which are governed by federal law pursuant to the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. Even communications that seem to be intrastate in nature can result in the transmission of interstate communications regardless of where you are physically located at the time of transmission. You acknowledge that use of CONNECT results in interstate data transmissions.

Assignment; Change in Control

You cannot assign this Agreement without the prior written approval of STA. Any attempt at improper assignment shall be void. STA may assign this Agreement without your consent to (a) an acquirer of assets, (b) a successor by merger, or (c) a service provider under contract with STA to manage CONNECT.

Severability

If any part of the Terms of Service should be determined to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason by any court of competent jurisdiction, then such term shall be enforced only to the extent that it is enforceable, and the remaining terms shall survive and remain in full force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable.

Waiver

No waiver of any term, provision or condition of the Terms of Service, whether by conduct or otherwise, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be or shall constitute a waiver of any other term, provision or condition thereof, whether or not similar, nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver of any such term, provision or condition thereof. No waiver shall be binding unless executed in writing by the party making the waiver.

Choice of Law and Venue

This Agreement is made and will be performed entirely in Spokane, Washington. Any and all claims, causes of action or disputes (regardless of theory) between you and STA arising out of or related to this Agreement, the CONNECT mobile app, Website, or content accessed through CONNECT and transactions made through use of CONNECT, including but not limited to disputes concerning the transfer of funds related to fare payment, shall be governed by the laws of the State of Washington without regard to conflict or choice of law principles, and that venue for any such action shall be in Spokane County.

App/Website User Code of Conduct

When using the CONNECT mobile app or Website, you agree that you will not:

1. Recreate a fare product for the purpose of riding STA’s services without purchasing a valid fare.

2. Restrict or inhibit any other visitor or user from lawfully using the CONNECT mobile app or the Website, including, without limitation, by means of "hacking" into or otherwise accessing the CONNECT mobile app or the Website in a manner that is not authorized by STA or defacing any portion of the CONNECT mobile app or the Website;

3. Use the CONNECT mobile App or the Website for any unlawful purpose;

4. Transmit any software onto the CONNECT mobile app or the Website that contains any viruses, worms, Trojan horses, defects, date bombs, time bombs, or other items of a destructive nature;

5. Modify, adapt, sub-license, translate, sell, reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any portion of the CONNECT mobile app or the Website, or otherwise attempt to derive any source code or underlying ideas or algorithms of any part of the CONNECT mobile app or the Website;

6. Attempt to access another person's personal information or data on the CONNECT mobile app or the Website;

7. Remove any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notices contained on the CONNECT mobile app or the Website;

8. "Frame" or "mirror" any part of the CONNECT mobile app or the Website;

9. Use any robot, spider, offline reader, search/retrieval application or other manual or automatic device or process to retrieve, index, data-mine, or in any way reproduce or circumvent the navigational structure or presentation of the CONNECT mobile app or the Website or its contents without STA’s prior written consent;

10. Upload or attempt to upload content to the CONNECT mobile app or the Website other than the information specifically required by STA for your access to or use of the CONNECT mobile app or the Website; or

11. Take any action that imposes or may impose (in STA’s sole discretion) an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on STA’s (or its third-party providers') infrastructure.

12. Intentionally damage or deface any STA property, including facilities, vehicles, or equipment.

Trademarks and Copyright; Ownership and Use Restrictions

Subject to your compliance with the Terms of Service, you may download the CONNECT mobile app which you may use solely for your personal, non-commercial use, provided that you do not delete, alter, remove, modify or deface any copyright and other proprietary notices contained therein. Subject to your compliance with the Terms of Service, STA grants you a limited license to use the CONNECT mobile app, provided that you not use, reproduce, modify, display, publicly perform, distribute, create derivative works of the CONNECT mobile app or Website, or circumvent any technological measure that effectively controls access to the CONNECT mobile app or Website in any way, including without limitation by manual or automatic device or process, for any purpose. You agree not to resell the CONNECT mobile app. Use of the CONNECT mobile app and the Website for any purpose other than as expressly authorized in this Agreement is a violation of STA copyrights and other proprietary rights and is strictly prohibited.

The information and content provided on or through CONNECT, the CONNECT mobile app, or the Website, including any data, text, designs, graphics, images, photographs, illustrations, audio and video clips, trademarks, logos, service marks, icons, and links are created by and owned exclusively by STA and are intended to educate and inform you about the products and services offered or described in CONNECT. Nothing contained on or in CONNECT, the CONNECT mobile app or the Website should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or right to use any trademark, logo, or service marks without the express written permission of STA, STA’s licensors or suppliers, or the third-party owner of any such trademark, logo, or service mark. The trademarks, logos, and service marks, whether registered or unregistered, may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not offered by STA, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion with customers, or otherwise interfere with STA’s ownership of the trademarks or the public's access to and use of CONNECT.

CONNECT, including the CONNECT mobile app and the Website, all software, databases, proprietary information and any intellectual property and other rights relating thereto and including without limitation the selection, sequence and "look and feel" and arrangement of items, are owned and operated by STA and will remain the property of STA. CONNECT is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark and other laws, and you acknowledge that these rights are valid and enforceable. You further acknowledge that you do not acquire any ownership rights by using CONNECT.

All editorial and creative assets on the Website, including the code used to create web pages, are protected by US and international copyright laws. STA reserves all rights to this content. All copyrights, design rights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights (registered and unregistered) in and on the Website belong to STA, each of which reserves all rights. Nothing in this Agreement or other provision of the Website grant to you or any person a right or license to use any trademark, design right, or copyright owned or controlled by or licensed to STA.

Linking and Hyperlinking

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive right to create a text hyperlink to the CONNECT mobile app or Website, provided that the linking website does not contain any illegal material, or such link is not for an illegal purpose. This limited right may be revoked at any time. You may not use STA’s logo or other proprietary graphic to link to the CONNECT mobile app or Website without the express written permission of STA. Further, you may not use, frame, or utilize framing techniques to enclose any of STA’s trademarks, logos, or other proprietary information, including the images found on the CONNECT mobile app or Website , the content of any text or the layout/design of any page or form contained on a page on the CONNECT mobile app or Website without STA’s express written consent. Except as noted above, you are not conveyed any right or license by implication, estoppel or otherwise in or under any patent, trademark, copyright, or proprietary right of STA or any third party.