Public transit riders will soon be able to purchase Metro TAP cards at certain county libraries under a pilot program approved this week by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Machines to purchase TAP cards will be installed at libraries in San Fernando, Lancaster, Paramount, El Monte and Carson.

Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheila Kuehl, who proposed the program, want to encourage more residents to use Metro’s buses and trains and to make it easier for those who visit county libraries, who often use public transportation, to purchase their fare.

“The easier we make it for Angelenos to take public transit, the more likely it is that they’ll use it,” Kuehl said in a statement on her website. “Now folks can buy or reload their TAP cards while accessing all the great services our libraries have to offer. Plus, a lot of new riders have difficulties figuring out how to buy TAP cards, so having library staff on site to help will make it a lot easier.”

Metro reported a ridership on its bus and light-rail transit systems of 38.4 million boardings in October, a decline from 43 million in October 2013.

“With a TAP card, one can get all the way from Lancaster to Long Beach without having to fumble in pockets for change,” Ridley-Thomas, who also chairs the Metro board, said in a statement. “They can sit back and let Metro and the rest of the county’s two dozen public transit agencies do the driving.”

The supervisors hope to expand the program. The board directed county staff to identify other county facilities where the machines can be installed in a report back to the board in 90 days.

The program was proposed by the Library Department, and Metro identified areas where there is a significant need for more TAP card kiosks.

The pilot locations were chosen because they are heavily used and accessible via public transit. The machines are expected to be installed in January.