City Transport Simulator 2026 Ticket Sales: Driver Guide

City Transport Simulator 2026 ticket sales allow players to take on the real-world operational duties of a bus driver by interacting directly with boarding passengers. Introduced by developer ViewApp as a core feature of the 2026 edition, the realistic ticketing system requires you to manually process fares, verify ticket categories, accept cash or card payments, and return exact change from the onboard pay table.

While ticketing adds operational depth, handling passenger transactions at busy stops can rapidly disrupt your timetable if settings and procedures are not managed properly.

How to Sell Tickets Step-by-Step

In City Transport Simulator 2026, ticket sales occur exclusively on buses; tram lines and certain licensed routes (such as the Vienna expansion lines) do not utilize driver ticket machines. When running active bus routes, boarding passengers will approach your cab at the front door to request fares.

1. Aim at the Passenger: Keep your center crosshair enabled in options to target incoming riders. Aim directly at the passenger standing by the cab door to display their dialogue prompt, which shows the requested ticket type, fare cost, and payment method.
2. Access the Ticket Printer: Turn toward the cockpit's ticket machine. Use the cockpit zoom feature (such as the right analog stick on controllers or mouse zoom on PC) if the printer screen text is difficult to read.
3. Select the Requested Ticket: Navigate the printer interface to select the exact fare requested. Available options include:
   • Single ticket (Adult / Child)
   • Short trip (Adult)
   • Day ticket (Adult)
   • Week ticket (Adult)
   • Month ticket (Adult)
   • Group ticket
4. Select the Payment Method: Match the customer's payment choice by toggling between contactless card or cash on the terminal.
5. Print the Ticket: Press the print command to issue the physical ticket from the terminal slot.
6. Handle Cash and Change: If the passenger pays with physical currency:
   • Pick up the cash deposited by the passenger (you can hold the interact input to collect all coins quickly).
   • If change is owed, select the appropriate coins from the onboard cash table to return the correct balance, or print the remaining amount as credit if supported.
7. Complete the Stop: Once the transaction finishes, the passenger will proceed down the aisle. Check your mirrors, close your front door, and verify your departure signals before pulling out.

Adjusting Ticketing Frequency and Payment Modes

If you find that ticket sales consume too much time or you want full control over your shift simulation, ViewApp provides customization options in the gameplay settings menu.

Sale Frequency

You can set how often passengers request fares when boarding your bus:

• Off / Off with Printer: Completely disables onboard ticket sales so you can focus strictly on driving and maintaining your schedule.
• Rarely: Passengers only ask for tickets at occasional stops (often intervals of several stops between sales).
• Sometimes: A moderate flow of ticket requests across regular stops.
• Often / Very Often: Maximizes passenger interaction. At high-density stops, multiple passengers will line up at the front door back-to-back.

Payment Method Filters

Following post-launch updates, players can configure the accepted payment options in the settings menu:

• Cash Only: All passengers paying for tickets will hand over physical bills and coins.
• Contactless Only: Passengers exclusively tap contactless cards, bypassing the manual cash drawer entirely.
• Cash and Contactless: A realistic hybrid where riders pay with a mixture of card and cash.

Timetable Delays and Known Ticketing Quirks

Implementing realistic ticket sales introduces specific schedule and gameplay challenges that drivers should prepare for:

• Schedule Slippage: In Career Mode, lines do not feature public transit priority traffic signals. If multiple passengers request tickets at a single stop, the required standing time—combined with static red lights—can cause delays ranging from 3 to 12 minutes by the end of a route.
• Frequency Scaling: Community reports note that bumping the setting from "rarely" to "sometimes" or "very often" can cause an aggressive spike in ticket demand, occasionally sending 7 to 15 passengers to the ticket machine at one stop.
• First Tutorial Lockup: A known bug in early releases caused the game to lock up or crash on PC when pressing the key to advance the initial ticket sale tutorial pop-up. If this happens, disabling ticket sales in settings bypasses the freeze.
• Contactless Preference: For players using gamepads or steering wheels without quick mouse aiming, switching payments to "Contactless Only" significantly speeds up turnaround times at stops by removing the need to click individual coins on the cash table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you sell tickets while driving trams in CTS 2026?

No. The interactive driver ticket printer and cash table are exclusive to buses. Tram operations do not include onboard driver ticket sales.

Why do passengers complain after buying a ticket?

Passengers have patience thresholds. If selecting the fare, printing the receipt, or dispensing change takes too long, passengers will express annoyance. Delays that cause you to depart late from the station will also trigger passenger dissatisfaction dialogue.

How do I return change if I don't use the coin table?

While cash can be dispensed coin-by-coin from the integrated pay table tray, the ticket machine also allows drivers to print change credit directly through the printer interface.

Do ticket sales generate company income in Career Mode?

Ticket sales award driver XP and contribute to route performance metrics. Career progression in City Transport Simulator 2026 is driven by leveling up and earning route points rather than accumulating liquid company currency.