Valley Metro began researching new payment systems in 2015, following the passage of the Proposition 104 transit tax measure.

Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix awarded a contract to provide the system to Australian firm Vix Technology in 2020.

Mobile payments were added to the Valley Metro app in March 2023, and the first Copper Cards were distributed in early 2024.

The Copper Card system was officially launched in August 2024 and replaced all paper passes at the end of October 2024.

Instead, credit card information was downloaded from the fareboxes at bus garages, and charges were submitted to MasterCard and Visa weekly.

This method saved money on processing fees, but it made Valley Metro liable for declined or fraudulent transactions.

The cost of fraudulent transactions proved to be too high, and Valley Metro stopped accepting credit cards in 2002.

[7] Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix began researching new fare payment systems in 2015, following the passage of the Proposition 104 transit tax measure.

Installation of new card readers, which also support the mobile app, began on buses and at light rail stations in late 2022.