We are thrilled to share that National Express West Midlands (NXWM) and Masabi won a Highly Commended award in the Best Passenger Experience Initiative category at the prestigious Transport Ticketing Global Awards. This recognition highlights the transformative journey NXWM has taken with Masabi to modernize ticketing, enhance accessibility, and improve the travel experience for millions of bus passengers.
Revolutionizing Smart Ticketing for Millions of Passengers
National Express West Midlands, one of the UK’s largest bus operators, carries 4 million passengers per week. As travel habits and technology evolved, NXWM recognized the need to modernize fare collection, making it easier, faster, and more accessible for passengers.
Partnering with Masabi, NXWM embarked on a digital transformation journey to replace legacy ticketing processes with seamless, integrated, and flexible fare solutions. This journey, which started with mobile ticketing, has evolved into a full-fledged mobile strategy, enabling passengers to purchase tickets across multiple platforms, access flexible payment options, and board buses more efficiently than ever.
A Journey of Innovation: From Mobile Ticketing to MaaS Integration
NXWM’s partnership with Masabi has resulted in several groundbreaking innovations in fare collection over the years:
🚀 2016 – The mTicket App Launch
NXWM launched an agency-branded mobile ticketing app powered by Masabi’s Justride platform, offering passengers a simple, convenient way to buy and use tickets via their smartphones.
🎓 2018 – Smart Ticketing for Students
A student ticketing scheme was introduced, allowing students to access discounted or fully funded travel passes directly through the mTicket app.
💳 2021 – Cash Digitization with Payzone
Partnering with Payzone, NXWM introduced cash digitization at over 1,300 retail locations, enabling passengers to purchase digital tickets using cash without needing a bank card.
📲 2022 – On-Bus QR Code Validation
NXWM became the first UK bus operator to introduce QR code ticket validation on buses at scale, making ticket scanning faster, reducing boarding times, and improving efficiency.
🚌 2023 – 43 Million Journeys Powered by Mobile Ticketing
mTicketing adoption soared, with 43 million bus trips enabled through Justride, reducing driver effort by 25% and enhancing the passenger experience.
🌍 2024 – The World’s First Bus Ticketing Integration into Citymapper & Uber
NXWM became the first transit operator in the world to integrate bus ticketing into Citymapper, allowing passengers to plan and pay for their entire journey within the app. A similar integration with Uber further expanded seamless travel options.
💼 2024 – Introducing Stored Value for Flexible Travel
The launch of Stored Value, a digital wallet that allows passengers to top up balances and redeem against ticket purchases, providing greater flexibility for customers, including parents topping up balances for their children.
The Results: A Better Passenger Experience
These innovations have made a real impact on passengers and operations:
✅ 43 million bus trips enabled by mTickets in 2023.
✅ 21% increase in mobile ticket usage from 2023 to 2024.
✅ 25% reduction in driver effort, streamlining operations.
✅ 1,300+ Payzone retail locations now offer convenient ticket purchases.
✅ Seamless journey planning and ticket purchasing via Uber & Citymapper.
✅ World-first integration with Citymapper, setting a new global standard.
A Well-Deserved Recognition
The Highly Commended award for Best Passenger Experience Initiative at Transport Ticketing Global is a testament to NXWM’s leadership in digital transformation and Masabi’s expertise in fare payments innovation. By simplifying ticketing, integrating with popular digital platforms, and improving accessibility, NXWM has set a new benchmark for passenger experience in public transport.
Congratulations to National Express West Midlands and Masabi on this fantastic achievement! 🎉
Would you like to learn more about how Masabi is transforming fare payments for transit agencies and transport operators worldwide? Request a demo with our team today! 🚍💳📲
