During and after the COVID-19 crisis, RTA users will have a safe way to plan and pay for their trip
The Greater Dayton RTA is making it even easier for customers to ride with the launch of Tapp Pay—its new mobile fare payment system, today, June 1. Tapp Pay integrates seamlessly with Transit—the RTA’s official, free real-time information, and trip planning mobile application—to allow customers to purchase and use bus fare with their mobile devices.
The RTA is excited to expand its partnership with Transit, which thousands of its customers already use for trip planning, tracking rides, and making multimodal connections, while bringing in new partner Masabi, a fare payments-as-a-service provider, to further simplify the riding experience.
“We’re thrilled for the launch of Tapp Pay and what it means for our customers, especially during a time where customers can utilize this as a way to increase their social distance while riding,” said Brandon Policicchio, Chief Customer and Business Development Officer for the RTA. “Now they can manage their entire transit experience from a single app.”
Today’s announcement further expands upon the RTA’s efforts to keep both passengers and employees safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. Tapp Pay’s launch is coming ahead of its expected summer launch in order to assist passengers with their social distancing efforts as those making essential trips can purchase both regular and reduced-fare passes using Transit without interacting with anyone else and store them in a wallet inside the app for later use. Once they are ready to board, passes can be activated and visually validated by the bus driver from a safe distance, which also speeds up the boarding process and limits issues at the fare box, RTA officials said.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to ride public transportation. During the coronavirus response, drivers and essential workers depending on transit as a lifeline need to stay as safe, and this solution helps them do that,” said David Block-Schachter, Chief Business Officer at Transit. “RTA’s passengers already rely on Transit to find their next trip and track their ride. Adding Tapp Pay gives riders everything they need in one app. And by minimizing contact between drivers and riders, Tapp Pay in Transit helps keep everyone a little bit safer.”
The RTA joins more than a dozen other agencies offering mobile ticketing through partnerships with Transit and Masabi, including those in Cincinnati, Butler County, and Northern Kentucky. Mobile ticketing in Transit is made possible through Masabi’s Justride SDK, which allows Transit to request fare types, make payments, and deliver visual and dynamic barcode tickets to riders through secure ticket wallets. With the launch of Tapp Pay, the RTA gains access to the Justride Hub, giving it real-time sales, usage, and validation data as well as an extensive customer services interface.
“Providing a safe way for riders to access tickets and pay for transit services is crucial in helping transit agencies keep both riders and operators safe and keep crucial services going during the COVID-19 response,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO at Masabi. “The RTA has accelerated this launch and should be commended for the great work it has done, together with our partner Transit, to get this service live for riders in a short amount of time.”
Transit is available to download for iPhone and Android at www.transitapp.com.
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About RTA: The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is the public transit agency that citizens count on in Montgomery County and western Greene County. RTA is Ohio’s greenest fleet, and operates diesel, hybrid diesel, and electric trolley buses. There are over 3,000 stops on 34 routes throughout the region. All RTA buses include bike racks and are wheelchair accessible. Customers ride RTA on more than 9 million passenger trips each year. As the region’s first choice for alternative transportation, RTA is committed to providing the highest levels of customer service. A skilled and dedicated workforce of over 700 employees is required to serve the transportation needs of citizens of the Miami Valley region in the most efficient, pleasant, and safe way possible. For more information, visit www.iriderta.org.
About Masabi: Masabi is bringing Fare Payments-as-a-Service—a new and better way of delivering fare payments —to public transit agencies and authorities of all sizes around the globe. This enables agencies to receive the latest fare payment innovations quickly, using a platform which is constantly updating and adding new features. Not only does this improve the journey experience for passengers, but it helps agencies keep up with the pace of technology change, while reducing the total cost of fare collection. With over 75 agencies of all sizes across 11 countries signed up, Masabi’s Justride is the world’s leading fare payments platform. Masabi has offices in New York, Denver, London, and Cluj, and investors include Mastercard, Shell, and Keolis. For more information, visit www.masabi.com.
About Transit: Transit solves the urban commute in more than 200 cities worldwide. Users can easily navigate public transit with accurate real-time predictions, simple trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and quick, easy payments. The app also integrates additional transport modes—bikesharing, scooters, carsharing, and ridehail—so users can mix-and-match their options with transit to determine the best way to get from A to B. The company is based in Montréal, QC. Learn more by visiting www.transitapp.com.