Citymapper App Users Can Now Plan Trips and Purchase Bus Tickets for National Express West Midlands Buses, Powered by Masabi

Partnership marks Citymapper's first-ever mobile ticketing integration

Citymapper today announced the launch of its first-ever mobile ticketing integration, making National Express West Midlands (NXWM) bus ticket purchases available within the Citymapper app, through an integration with Masabi.  

This first-of-its-kind integration gives passengers an all-in-one plan, pay and ride experience, allowing NXWM passengers to use the Citymapper app to plan their trips and purchase tickets for travel on NXWM buses throughout the West Midlands.

As the leader in the largest UK urban bus market outside of London, NXWM provides on average 210 million bus passenger journeys per year across the West Midlands. The bus operator has partnered with Citymapper and its established user base of over 50M global users to meaningfully improve public transport access for users travelling throughout the region.

This collaboration is a key component of NXWM’s plan to provide more integrated and environmentally friendly mobility options to riders. By giving instant mobile ticket access to passengers who have the Citymapper app on their phones, choosing to travel by bus is even easier and more convenient.

The mobile ticketing functionality within the Citymapper app has been made possible using Masabi’s Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK creates a seamless and secure mobile ticketing purchase and payment experience. Ticket types available via the Citymapper app include single, day, and weekly bus tickets, which customers then validate as they board the bus and scan their ticket using NXWM’s onboard validators.

Citymapper (which was acquired in 2023 by Via, the global leader in TransitTech), provides travellers with easy, personalised, and fun journey-planning across all transport modes available in their cities. This latest integration is unique due to how deeply embedded the ticket-purchasing is within the journey-planning experience. Passengers are prompted to purchase tickets at intuitive moments during the planning process, making it easier than ever to travel on public transport.

Antony Goozee, Bus Strategy & Commercial Director for National Express, said: "As the landscape of public transport continues to evolve, it’s important that we provide customers with a convenient bus journey planning and ticketing experience. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Citymapper, and by integrating our bus services and tickets with their user-friendly app we are providing new and existing passengers with seamless access to greener, easier transport options. This first-of-its-kind collaboration represents a significant milestone in our mission to make it more convenient to move around the West Midlands by bus."

Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi, said: “As we have seen in cities around the world where a range of leading MaaS apps have used Masabi’s SDK to empower greater choice to public transport users, ticketing options being made available through the Citymapper app allows authorities, operators and passengers increased accessibility to services and greater flexibility by providing a seamless ticketing experience. We are excited to further develop our partnerships with National Express West Midlands and Citymapper to help deliver a better passenger experience for travellers across the West Midlands and we expect other cities will look to offer their passengers this functionality.”

Nithya Sowrirajan, Chief Product Officer at Via, said: “Via believes in a world where everyone has access to efficient, affordable mobility. This partnership between Citymapper, Masabi, and National Express West Midlands moves us all closer to that vision by making it easier for more riders to discover, plan and pay for public transport. This in turn will empower more riders to use public transport more often. We’re thrilled to debut this offering in the West Midlands and look forward to working with other leading agencies and authorities to offer this seamless experience in their own communities.”

Today’s announcement marks another milestone in the long-standing partnership between  NXWM and Masabi. In 2016, Masabi and NXWM forged a successful partnership, introducing the highly acclaimed mTicket app. Building on this success, in 2018, Masabi and NXWM unveiled a smart ticketing scheme tailored specifically for students, followed in 2021 by a successful cash digitisation program for ticket purchases at retail locations. In 2023 alone, over 43 million bus trips were made easier and more efficient thanks to mTickets and this next innovation will help more people use their phones to travel across the West Midlands.

For more information about the Citymapper app, visit www.citymapper.com.

Interested in learning more? Download our one pager for insights and guidance on launching your tickets in the Citymapper app, just as NXWM has successfully done.