Starting Monday, all MetroLink tickets and two-hour passes will need to be validated by customers prior to boarding the trains. The ticket vending machines will no longer automatically print the expiration time on these tickets or passes.

Metro volunteer ambassadors will assist customers at the Belleville MetroLink stations from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday.

According to MetroLink officials, this will allow customers the flexibility to purchase Metro tickets in advance of their trip, and then validate ticket when they are ready to use them. It also will eliminate confusion over whether or not tickets need to be validated. The following fares must be validated starting Monday: one-ride ticket, two-hour pass, round-trip tickets (each ticket immediately prior to travel) and tickets from 10-ride ticket booklets.

Valid fare is required to ride on the Metro Transit system. The passenger with a ticket or two-hour pass must have that validated ticket or two-hour pass in his or her possession as proof of payment. A ticket that has not been validated is considered a fare violation and may result in a citation and a fine.