Frequently Asked Questions - GIRO card

The GIRO card is the support that stores the information of the transport titles you have purchased. 

The fare refers to the titles you purchase in order to travel. These titles (pass or ticket) are kept on the card so they can be used by the passenger to travel.

Children up to and including 5 years of age travel free of charge, provided they do not occupy a seat. From the age of 6 years old, they must purchase a transport ticket or pass in accordance with the fares and conditions in force.

At a Tax Office (Finanças) or through the Tax Authority website.

At the parish council (junta de freguesia) of your area of residence.   

Proof of address - Simplifica Portal.

Passengers should check whether they have completed the top-up of the desired transport title. Refunds/cancellations of transport titles purchases are only allowed if the GIRO card pass or ticket has not been validated, and within 2 hours of purchase.
 
• Top-up made at a Payshop Agent
The top-up cancellation request must be made at that same Payshop Agent.

• Top-up made at Operator Sales offices and Automatic Vending Machines
The top-up cancellation request must be made at the Operators' Sales offices.

Top-ups for social passes are available starting on the 20th of each month and refer to the top-up for the following month. You may top up until the 19th of the month to which it relates.

In case of a validation error, if you have a valid pass receipt you may proceed with your trip. For +65, former combatant, disability 0, retired 0, and employee passes, which do not have a top-up receipt, it is necessary to purchase an onboard ticket.
You should urgently go to a Sales office of the operator in your area of residence, to assess whether the fault is due to an electronic problem or improper handling of the card.

The GIRO pass card has a warranty period of 1 year from the date of issue. During this warranty period, the company will replace, free of charge, cards that stop working due to a defect. Replacement is paid for by the customer once the warranty period has ended, or if, during the warranty period, visible damage is found, namely cracks, cuts, a chip that is wholly or partially dislodged, bending, deterioration — in particular where it prevents correct identification of the holder and/or the card — or other signs of misuse.

You should report the loss of your GIRO pass card immediately through our contact channels. 

Your card is cancelled when a new GIRO pass card is issued. You can request a new card at the Sales offices of the operator in your area of residence, at the price in force, and request the transfer of your existing passes.

The GIRO ticket card is valid for 12 months from the date of first use. After this period, you may continue to use any travel passes already loaded on the card; however, no further top-ups will be possible.

For the GIRO pass card, the validity period corresponds to the date printed on the card itself.

With a prepaid ticket, you can make a transfer using the same transport title, provided the validations occur within 45 minutes (with the same transport operator - municipal title) or 90 minutes (intermunicipal title). If you find that two prepaid trips have been deducted within the validity period, you may go to the Sales office of the operator serving your area of residence for review and possible reimbursement of the travel title.

No. Although the GIRO ticket card is not personal, each passenger must have their own GIRO card during the trip.

No. Prepaid trip top-ups can only be loaded onto a GIRO ticket card.

IMT is the entity that manages the integrated ticketing system for public bus transport in the Autonomous Region of Madeira and is responsible for the GIRO card. 
The integrated ticketing system allows for a single unified card – the GIRO card – which can be used across all operators.

 

GIRO is the card that allows legitimate boarding on the operators' buses.

 

SIGA is the new network management system for passenger transport applied in Madeira and Porto Santo.

 

The Operators are responsible for operating the public transport networks in the concessioned municipalities. There are three operators in the Region:

• CAM (resulting from the merger of the former SAM and EACL), which serves the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Machico, Santana and Porto Santo.

• SIGA Rodoeste (formerly Rodoeste), which serves the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Ponta do Sol, Calheta, Porto Moniz and São Vicente. 

• Horários do Funchal, which serves the municipality of Funchal and the parish of Curral das Freiras.