How to Ride the Bus

Important Updates

Starting April 1, 2026, Spokane Colleges is excited to roll out the STA Connect mobile app!

STA is upgrading its system and retiring the old card‑strip readers on buses, so this switch will help keep your commute smooth and hassle‑free. Students can ride using either the STA Connect app or a physical STA Connect card—whichever works best for you.

Please note: Student ID cards will no longer work for bus access.

Below, you’ll find easy, step‑by‑step instructions to download, register, and start riding with the STA Connect app.

How to register the STA app

1. Visit STA's STA Connect App page or search and download the STA Connect app from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store:

2. Sign in or Create an Account. Click "Create Account" through the app with your Bigfoot email. You must use your college email address that ends in @Bigfoot.spokane.edu so that the app recognizes your eligibility and allows the pass to link correctly. You cannot use a personal email to register. If you already have a Connect account tied to your college email, then just click on the green Sign In button

3. Tap the “+” symbol to create an eConnect card.

Then click on the “Link Connect card” green circle:

4. Now link the Connect card to your Spokane Colleges account by clicking on “Partner Agency” on the right:

Then Click “Link to Partnership” green button at the bottom of the screen:

Then select Spokane Colleges/SCC/SFCC as the Partner Agency:

The click the Add Passes green button:

5. Add the Spokane Colleges Pass. It will be called the Sasquatch Card:

From the “Passes” panel in the middle of the screen, you can verify the pass was added successfully. You can ignore the “Low Balance” message in red. These passes do not carry a dollar balance, so the eConnect card balance shows $0.00.

How to use the STA app

When you are ready to ride the bus, open the app and click on the QR code button at the bottom of the screen.

A QR code will appear on your phone screen. Hold your phone under the validator to scan:

If you have a physical card, tap it on the bus’s reader until you see the green checkmark: