From Mobile Ticketing to Enterprise Fare Systems: How Masabi Is Powering the World’s Largest Transport Networks

Public transport networks are changing rapidly. Authorities and operators are introducing new ways to pay, joining up services across wider regions and adapting to what passengers expect from modern, reliable travel. In the United Kingdom, franchising initiatives are reshaping how networks are governed, planned and delivered. Across Europe and North America, regional integration programmes are bringing multiple operators together under shared systems. Everywhere, public transport is moving toward more connected and consistent journeys.

But fare collection often struggles to keep pace. Many systems are still built as large bespoke projects that take years to deliver and even longer to update. Adding new products or changing fare policy can become complex. Integrating operators under franchising or regional structures can be slow. Innovation reaches passengers later than it should.

What if fare collection operated with the flexibility of a true enterprise SaaS platform? One that updates in the background, supports rapid configuration and allows authorities to respond to policy change, integration requirements or franchising models without major rebuilds. A system that is already delivering at regional scale.

This blog explores how fare collection has evolved from the first mobile ticketing deployments to today’s open, modular and continuously updated enterprise platforms, and how this shift is helping authorities and operators launch faster, support franchised and regional networks, streamline operations and keep up with changing passenger needs.

A Journey from Mobile Ticketing Innovation to Enterprise SaaS Global Scale

Masabi was founded with a simple vision: to make public transport easier to use and more convenient for all. That journey began in 2007, when Masabi partnered with Chiltern Railways to deliver the world’s first mobile ticketing service for public transport. The project proved that modernisation could start with passengers rather than infrastructure. It allowed people to buy and display tickets directly on their phones, making travel faster, easier and more convenient. That moment marked the beginning of a movement that would redefine ticketing for millions of people.

Today, that same spirit of innovation underpins a global enterprise SaaS platform powering some of the world’s largest and most ambitious transport networks. What started with a single mobile ticket has evolved into a system capable of supporting region-wide fare collection, continuous updates, multimodal integration and the flexibility required to keep pace with the changing needs of modern public transport.

Growth and Delivery

Masabi now serves more than 200 transport authorities and operators across the globe. From local bus networks to national and regional systems, Justride powers daily journeys for millions of people. The accelerating adoption of SaaS-based fare collection demonstrates how authorities and operators are seeking solutions that can adapt quickly, operate at scale and evolve without costly redevelopment.
In recent years, this momentum has only intensified. In 2025, we have delivered 93 major upgrades, with many more on the horizon. This sustained pace reflects both the growing demand for flexible, enterprise-ready fare systems and the efficiencies gained through a continuously updated SaaS platform.

The first half of 2025 saw the rapid expansion of Open Payments across the United States. Agencies such as RTC of Southern Nevada, Rochester’s RTS and Denver’s Regional Transportation District launched tap and ride systems that allow passengers to pay with bank cards, mobile wallets or smart devices, bringing modern, frictionless travel to some of the country’s most significant transit networks. In Kauai, riders can now board with a tap across the island’s bus system, delivering a new level of simplicity and convenience. Sacramento Regional Transit introduced a new regional fare payment experience designed to unify services across the Sacramento area, while Madison Metro introduced Open Payments for the first time and Las Vegas RTC launched a rewards programme encouraging contactless travel.

Masabi also secured one of the most significant regional fare collection projects in North America. The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) selected Masabi to deliver its next generation fare collection solution, a major step toward unifying services across 82 municipalities and five operators in the Greater Montréal region. This awarded project represents a landmark partnership and shows how an enterprise SaaS platform can support long-term regional integration goals at national scale.

Across the same period, agencies throughout the EZfare network, including Cincinnati Metro, Lafayette and AMTRAN, continued to expand Account Based Ticketing and tap to ride capabilities. LANTA deployed new tap to ride functionality, while Calgary Transit completed a significant platform validator upgrade that strengthens its long-term technology strategy. National Express West Midlands and the New York MTA enhanced their mobile applications to improve user experience and strengthen revenue protection, and agencies such as Grand River Transit and WATA expanded mobile ticketing options to provide passengers with more flexible and intuitive digital experiences.

This level of delivery in such a short period highlights the advantages of an enterprise-ready SaaS platform. As more agencies adopt this model, delivery is accelerating rather than slowing down. Each launch benefits from shared capabilities, common processes and accumulated learnings, enabling faster deployments, reduced complexity and a more consistent experience across regions. Reaching more than fifty projects well before the end of the third quarter is more than a milestone; it is clear evidence that SaaS is enabling faster and more scalable innovation in fare collection than any traditional model could provide. Every agency benefits from the same core technology, the same global delivery team and the same best practices, ensuring a level of quality and continuity that bespoke systems cannot match.

UK Partnerships for Better Passenger Experience

Masabi’s story began in the United Kingdom, and the UK remains central to our innovation journey. From the world’s first mobile ticketing rollout with Chiltern Railways in 2007 to today’s enterprise-scale fare collection systems, Masabi has helped shape how passengers travel and pay for transport across the country.

Our early work with Chiltern Railways transformed rail travel by allowing passengers to purchase and display tickets directly on their phones for the first time. This milestone proved that public transport could be modernised around passenger experience without costly infrastructure replacement.
Today, Masabi continues to support leading UK operators including National Express West Midlands, Transport for Wales, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Grand Central, delivering technology that simplifies travel and improves operational efficiency.

With National Express West Midlands, Masabi’s Enterprise SaaS platform powers mobile ticketing and multimodal integration. More than 53 million bus journeys were completed using mTickets in 2025, with a 21 percent increase in usage year on year. Integrations with Citymapper and Uber have made ticketing available directly within popular journey planning apps, while a 25 percent reduction in driver effort has helped streamline operations and boarding times.

Transport for Wales processed more than 12 million ticket scans using Masabi’s barcode validation and inspection solutions. These systems improve inspection accuracy, enhance revenue protection and ensure consistency across rail services, making fare collection faster, more reliable and easier to manage across the network.

Across Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Grand Central, Masabi’s validation tools deliver the same level of precision and efficiency, helping operators reduce fraud and provide a seamless travel experience for passengers.

Masabi’s work in the UK shows how a modular, cloud-based Enterprise SaaS platform can help operators and authorities evolve their fare collection quickly and cost effectively. As franchising continues to expand, this same foundation will enable authorities to coordinate multiple operators and services within a single connected system that keeps fare policy consistent and travel simple for passengers.

Franchising and the Future of UK Transport

Franchising is already reshaping public transport across the UK. Local authorities are taking greater control of their networks, setting service standards and building joined-up journeys that meet community needs. Fare collection is central to making franchising work. It determines how revenue is distributed, how policies are applied and how passengers experience the system day to day. Without a consistent technology foundation, franchising can quickly become fragmented.

Masabi’s enterprise SaaS platform solves this challenge. It provides a shared back office environment where fare rules, entitlements and settlement are managed in one place. Authorities set their policies within this system and operators connect to it without needing separate back office builds. This helps keep fare policy consistent across the network and makes it easier to add new operators and modes as franchising expands.

This model delivers consistency and transparency across operators, enabling authorities to maintain control while offering passengers a seamless and fair travel experience. It also ensures that franchised systems can scale over time, supporting regional expansion and integration without unnecessary cost or complexity.

Useful Content on UK Bus Franchising:

• Bus Franchising: 13 Questions to Ask When Creating a Unified Fare Collection System
• The Pros and Cons of Franchising for Public Transport in the UK

Regional Systems Built for Scale

Masabi’s Enterprise SaaS platform provides a comprehensive solution for larger cities and regions, combining the benefits of a SaaS model with the flexibility of an open platform and a strong partner ecosystem. This approach is already being applied through regional projects such as ARTM’s in Montréal.
The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain oversees public transport for more than four million residents across 82 municipalities and five operators. As part of its Concerto project, ARTM selected Masabi to deliver a next generation fare collection platform powered by Justride. This regional initiative will modernise more than 12,000 devices and replace the long-standing OPUS system, enabling passengers to travel using contactless bank cards, smartphones, smartcards and mobile tickets.

This project shows how an Enterprise SaaS model can unify complex regional networks under a single, scalable platform. With continuous updates delivered seamlessly, authorities benefit from a solution that evolves alongside their policies and operations. It provides the agility to integrate services, reduce operational overhead and keep networks aligned with changing passenger needs.

Local authorities in the UK share many of these goals as they move toward franchising. They want to align fare policy, improve integration and deliver consistent passenger experiences across multiple operators. With a modular Enterprise SaaS platform like Justride, they can coordinate services through one central back office while maintaining flexibility, lowering costs and promoting ongoing innovation.

The Road Ahead for Fare Collection

From pioneering the first mobile ticketing app to powering some of the world’s most advanced fare systems, Masabi’s story is one of evolution, scale and leadership. The company has grown from an innovator in mobile technology into the global standard for modern fare collection.

With its Enterprise SaaS platform, Masabi delivers what the industry needs most: systems that are flexible, reliable and built to evolve. Whether supporting regional integration, franchised networks or national mobility programmes, Masabi helps authorities and operators deliver simpler, fairer and more connected journeys.

The future of fare collection is no longer about one system or one region. It is about a shared, living platform that brings people, technologies and cities together, helping public transport truly power everyday life.

Want to learn more?

Find out how Masabi’s Enterprise SaaS platform can help your authority or region deliver a unified, scalable fare collection system: get in touch with our team at contact@masabi.com