Like a summer fling that had to end, those free rides on the QLINE are about to be a thing of the past.

In about one week, the QLINE, Detroit's streetcar system, will start charging riders. The plan is to launch pay, or revenue, service when the system begins operations the day after Labor Day — 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5. To help riders with the changes, "ambassadors" will be riding each streetcar and staff will be on hand at different stations throughout the day.

Sommer Woods, vice president of external affairs for M-1 Rail, the entity that operates the system, said staff has been working hard to get ready for the start of pay service.

"We are (as) ready as we can be for sure in terms of doing our due diligence for testing and preparing for this day,” Woods said.

The streetcar line is also preparing to roll out some new features to help riders navigate. Video screen maps at the stations are being changed to both highlight points of interest, such as the Detroit Medical Center and Little Caesars Arena, in relation to the stations, as well as give riders a view of the route that more clearly mirrors their perspective. That will show riders where things are along the route so it's easier to understand where areas like downtown are. Wording showing southbound/downtown or northbound/New Center/North End will also be added.

Directional signage, which will show the way to downtown if heading south for instance, is also being added on station platform floors behind the yellow tactile strips that indicate riders should stay back from the edge.

Woods said that when she is at a station, riders frequently ask her how to get downtown, so staffers have been focusing on how to lessen that confusion. She said many riders are simply unfamiliar with public transportation and are learning the basics.

“We’re literally having to put in some additional things to enhance people's idea of just riding transit," she said.

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QLINE spokesman Dan Lijana added that it's a learning process and that the goal is to make the riding public comfortable with using the system.

Woods and Lijana provided a demonstration for a Free Press reporter Friday of the various methods to buy passes to ride the streetcar.

For many riders, that will mean either $1.50 for three hours or $3 for a day pass, but additional passes are available as are discounted fares for seniors, disabled people and others.

Pay machines on the streetcars will be able to accept cash payments, while credit cards, but not cash, are accepted at the station kiosks. Riders are, however, encouraged to download the QLINE app if they have a smartphone to purchase a pass there using a credit card. Users follow the prompts to select the types of passes they want, and the app provides the most pass options.

The kiosks and machines will spit out an actual ticket that shows how long it can be used. Riders using the app can set up their account ahead of time and buy their tickets as they are about to ride. Instead of a paper ticket, the screen will display the amount of time remaining on the pass.

Bus transfers can also be purchased when passes are bought on the streetcars.

Although riders do not automatically show their tickets (or smartphone screens if they used the app) when they walk onto the streetcar, Woods said they can be asked to do so at any time while riding.

If someone is found to be riding without having purchased a pass, they will be given three options — purchase a ticket on the streetcar or at the next station, get off the QLINE or receive a $150 citation, according to Lijana.

The switch to pay service follows a longer than expected transition for the service, which launched May 12 on its 3.3-mile route on Woodward Avenue. QLINE rides were initially planned as free through at least the opening weekend, but that was extended into June. But after numerous complaints about lengthy wait times, the Kresge Foundation stepped in to pay for all rides through Labor Day.

That extension of free rides also came with a plan to institute numerous operational changes to, among other things, improve wait times. That plan included hiring more operators and cutting out stops at stations where no one was waiting. The system released a report card late last month noting that ridership hit an average of 6,300 trips the week of July 17, which was an increase from 4,000 the week of June 12.

It's still unclear how the beginning of pay service will affect ridership, but several riders last week indicated they would continue to use the system.

Walter Bridges and his sister Brooke-Llyn Bridges, 15 and 16 respectively, waited for the streetcar at the Campus Martius station Thursday. They typically ride the streetcar to and from the Mack Avenue station, near their home. Walter said he comes downtown to play basketball at the hoops set up at Cadillac Square.

But even though he's willing to buy a pass, he will likely stop his daily trek — aside from the occasional trip to the Nike or Under Armour stores on Woodward — once the basketball nets come down for the season.

"When it's cold, I don't think I'll ride," he said. "There's nothing to do downtown when it's cold."

His sister said she expects to ride from time to time.

"I'll buy a pass, but not like an everyday thing," she said.

Andre Gilbert, 30, of Detroit, waited at the Congress station Thursday, finishing some lunch he'd grabbed from a food truck near Campus Martius. Gilbert said he works for the city clerk's office and takes the QLINE regularly.

He considers the QLINE a nice feature and will probably buy a pass, but he noted that he can bike to his destinations faster than taking a trip on the streetcar.

"It's cool if you're not in a real hurry to get anywhere," Gilbert said as a streetcar pulled up to the station a few minutes after a previous streetcar had left.

As a reporter joined Gilbert on the train, the two discussed the appearance of another streetcar so quickly at the station. Gilbert agreed that the speed of service had improved since the QLINE launched. On the short trip to the next station, at Campus Martius, two additional streetcars were seen heading in the opposite direction.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @_ericdlawrence.

What will it cost to ride the QLINE?

$1.50 for three hours.

75 cents for seniors (65 and older), disabled riders and Medicare cardholders.

$3 for day passes.

$30 for a monthly pass.

$285 for an annual pass. Annual passes will be prorated and will cost $112 if purchased in September.

Transfers to and from DDOT buses will be 25 cents.

Transfers to and from SMART buses will be 25 cents for full-fare and youth riders, free for disabled and senior riders.

Tickets can be bought with cash on the streetcar. Credit cards can be used at stations or through the QLINE app for smartphones. Another option is to pay in person with check or money order at the Penske Tech Center, 7520 Woodward.