--- title: Ticketing via Local Webapps description:

We're finally able to show off some of the work we've been doing recently on local mobile webapps - interactive web pages which can be saved and run even when you're offline...

image: http://www.masabi.com/iphone/rail1sm.jpg --- [![](https://blog.masabi.com/hs-fs/hubfs/masabi%20186.png?width=150&name=masabi%20186.png "masabi 186.png")](http://www.masabi.com/) 31-Jul-2009 17:27:00 by [Tom Godber](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/author/tom-godber) # Ticketing via Local Webapps - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) We're finally able to show off some of the work we've been doing recently on local mobile webapps - interactive web pages which can be saved and run even when you're offline. Our mobile ticket sales app is now available as a local Java app for mass market handsets, and a local webapp for Android and iPhone - offering all the same functionality, security and slick branding: [![Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone](http://www.masabi.com/iphone/rail1sm.jpg "Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/masabi/3775148626/) [![Masabi Train Ticketing Java app running on a Nokia N96](http://www.masabi.com/huge/rail1.gif "Masabi Train Ticketing Java app running on a Nokia N96")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/masabi/3634706199/) ## What Is A Local Webapp? With the latest HTML 5 and Google Gears APIs support on Android, iPhone and Palm Pre, you can provide a fast multi-screen interactive app with local storage (to store tickets you have purchased), which behaves like a native local app and is accessible even when the phone is offline. Here's how to store the app for later use on an iPhone - reached by clicking on the '+' icon in the footer: [![](http://www.masabi.com/iphone/rail14sm.jpg "Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone home screen")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/masabi/3774694295/) [![](http://www.masabi.com/iphone/rail15sm.jpg "Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone home screen")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/masabi/3775499696/) ## Why Webapps? Traditionally at Masabi we have always written local apps in Java, because [they offer the best mass market user experience for the sort of ticketing and financial services we provide](https://blog.masabi.com/2007/08/thick-vs-thin-clients-in-mobile-today.html); it's only with the advent of handsets with fast, HTML 5-capable browsers that we have been able to explore the webapp route. We plan to use local webapps for many of our iPhone and Android products for two core reasons: 1. With the proliferation of new platforms causing even more [fragmentation](https://blog.masabi.com/2008/01/truth-about-mobile-fragmentation.html) in the mobile apps space, the Safari browser used on both platforms is actually the safest way to reduce fragmentation and streamline maintenance and development; 2. There are some [big advantages](http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/30/fed-up-a-popular-mac-developer-quits-the-iphone/) to the unrestricted installation of a webapp via the web, especially if your business model is not compatible with the rules or revenue shares of the relevant App Store; it can be hard to justify to a customer the extra expense of a dedicated app when you cannot guarantee the app will ever be allowed on the store or device. Fortunately, it is easy to take a local webapp and wrap it up as a native iPhone or Android app, so we can make all of the services available through the relevant App Stores as well if that is what the users want. It is worth noting that at Masabi we are producing free mass market services which pay for themselves through transaction fees, so the App Store's billing system isn't an issue for us - your mileage may vary... ## Does It Feel Like A Normal App? Webapps can very successfully replicate the look and feel of native apps, with quick scrolling between screens, button styles and the like. Below are screenshots of the user selecting an option from a list, and a date from the calendar: [![Selecting an option from a list on the Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone](http://www.masabi.com/iphone/rail5sm.jpg "Selecting an option from a list on the Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/masabi/3775148234/) [![Picking a date on the Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone](http://www.masabi.com/iphone/rail13sm.jpg "Picking a date on the Masabi Train Ticketing local webapp on an iPhone")](http://www.flickr.com/photos/masabi/3774343471/) These clearly follow the style and usability conventions of the built-in iPhone apps. With CSS targetted to the device through our DeployME server, we reskin the same application easily to adopt Android conventions and styling as well. ### Written by [Tom Godber](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/author/tom-godber) [ ### San Joaquin Regional Transit District Launches Open Payments with Masabi, Delivering “A Faster, Easy Way to Pay” Across Stockton and the Central Valley Jul 2, 2026 ](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/san-joaquin-regional-transit-district-launches-open-payments-with-masabi-delivering-a-faster-easy-way-to-pay-across-stockton-and-the-central-valley) [ ### How SaaS Fare Collection Keeps Getting Faster at Scale Jun 30, 2026 ](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/how-saas-fare-collection-keeps-getting-faster-at-scale) [ ### Tap, Ride, Repeat: How Masabi Is Scaling Open Payments Across North America Jun 30, 2026 ](https://blog.masabi.com/blog/tap-ride-repeat-how-masabi-is-scaling-open-payments-across-north-america) ### Menu [Fare Payments as a Service](http://www.masabi.com/fare-payments-as-a-service/) [Justride Platform](http://www.masabi.com/justride-mobile-ticketing/) [Account Based Ticketing ](http://www.masabi.com/account-based-ticketing/) [Mobility as a Service](http://www.masabi.com/mobility-as-a-service/) [Mobile Ticketing ](http://www.masabi.com/mobile-ticketing/) [Contactless EMV](http://www.masabi.com/contactless-emv-ticketing/) [Blog](https://blog.masabi.com/blog) [Content ](http://www.masabi.com/resources/) [Careers ](http://www.masabi.com/we-are-hiring/) [Contact Us ](https://www.masabi.com/about/) [Request a Demo ](https://info.masabi.com/justridedemo) ### About Justride Masabi’s Justride is the leading Fare Payments platform for public transport. Transit agencies and operators can sign up to mobile ticketing services, enable Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and deploy an account-based system allowing passengers to simply tap a contactless bank card, mobile device and smartcard to travel, without needing to buy a ticket or understand fares. With over seventy agencies of all sizes across ten countries signed up, Justride is leading the movement away from bespoke and expensive ticket systems to Fare Payments as a Service. ### About Masabi At Masabi we believe a new Fare Payments system allowing passengers to just tap and ride, without needing to buy a ticket or understand fares, should be available to every passenger and every transit agency around the globe, without prohibitive costs or taking years to deliver. By providing a Fare Payments platform which is constantly improving and connected with leading mobility applications (for full first-last mile journeys) Masabi is helping passengers move seamlessly from A to B, attracting more people to conveniently ride public transit. ### Masabi Newsletter © Masabi Services - All Right Reserved. **