Public transit agencies and transport authorities have long struggled to deliver fare collection projects on time and on budget. Too often, custom-built, bespoke solutions lead to delays, cost overruns, scope compromises - and, in the worst cases, cancelled programs after significant spend.
But the delivery model is changing.
SaaS fare collection (also known as Fare Payment-as-a-Service or Ticketing-as-a-Service) is proving that agencies don’t have to accept “3-10 year delivery with high-risk” as the default. With an enterprise-ready SaaS platform like Masabi’s Justride, agencies can configure proven capabilities instead of rebuilding from scratch - unlocking faster timelines, lower delivery risk, and the ability to run more projects in parallel.
And the numbers from 2025 make the shift hard to ignore.
2025 by the numbers
Here’s what we delivered in 2025 - building on our 2024 momentum:
- 93 major fare collection project upgrades delivered in 2025
(vs 42 in 2024 - 2.2× more year-over-year) - Average launch time reduced by 15% (vs 2024)
- 10 Mobile ticket launches
- 13 Smart Card/Mobile ABT launches (Account-Based Ticketing / “Tap to Ride”)
- 7 Open Payments ABT launches (cEMV bank cards/devices)
- Up to 46 concurrent projects with 39 on average throughout 2025
If you read our August update (“42 Projects Last Year. 54 Already This Year…”), we were already at 54 major upgrades just over halfway through 2025. By year-end, that total reached 93 - a clear signal that SaaS delivery scales in a fundamentally different way than bespoke programs.
The legacy fare collection delivery problem
For decades, fare collection projects followed a frustratingly predictable pattern:- Long procurement cycles
- 3-10 year development timelines
- One-off integrations and unique infrastructure
- Vendor dependencies and custom codebases
- Delays, cost overruns, and rework when requirements evolved
This wasn’t a lack of talent or effort - it was the model.
Bespoke systems force every deployment to start over
Traditional delivery treats each agency as a ground-up build: different code, different integrations, different environments, different teams. That creates the well-known “A, B, and C team” dynamic - where the flagship deployments get the best resources, while others wait their turn or fight for bandwidth.
When something goes wrong, lessons learned don’t transfer cleanly because the work isn’t repeatable. The result is a siloed, resource-constrained approach that makes it extremely difficult to deliver multiple high-quality projects in parallel.
And in a world where customer expectations, funding conditions, and technology are moving faster than ever, that approach simply doesn’t hold up.
The SaaS solution: built to deliver, not to rebuild
SaaS fare collection flips the model.
With a platform like Justride, agencies don’t need to commission a one-off system. Instead, they adopt a configurable, modular platform designed to support modern fare payment and ticketing at scale - then tailor it to local policy, pricing, integrations, and rollout strategy.
That means:
- Less rebuilding, more configuring
- No unique infrastructure per deployment
- Standardized capabilities that improve continuously
- Repeatable delivery patterns that get faster over time
- A common platform that supports phased modernization
Justride supports Account-Based Ticketing across major fare media - Open Payments, mobile apps, and smart cards - as well as fare capping and integrations with partner systems via mature APIs and SDKs. The key is that these aren’t reinvented per project; they’re delivered as part of a continuously evolving platform.
What we shipped in 2025
The 93 major upgrades delivered in 2025 weren’t all the same “type” of project - and that’s the point. SaaS enables breadth and velocity across multiple innovation tracks at once.
Smart card and mobile Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) momentum (13 launches)
Account-Based Ticketing is the foundation for flexible fare policy and better rider outcomes. In 2025 we delivered 13 ABT launches using smart cards and mobile devices, enabling more agencies to implement “Tap to Ride” experiences and evolve fare structures over time.
Open Payments (ABT) growth (7 launches)
Open Payments keeps expanding because it reduces friction for riders and accelerates modernization. In 2025, we delivered 7 Open Payments launches, helping agencies move faster from legacy constraints to contactless, bank-card-enabled experiences.
Platform, app, and validator modernization
Beyond ABT and Open Payments, upgrades included Ticket Vending Machine add-ons, platform validator installs, 10 mobile launches, partner portal schemes, and validator refreshes - modernizing the system without forcing agencies into multi-year rebuild cycles.
Phased innovation without the pain
SaaS doesn’t just accelerate launches - it also makes modernization safer because agencies can evolve in phases:
- Mobile-first: launch mobile ticketing and visual validation, then expand to ABT and additional media
- Open Payments-first: launch contactless EMV quickly, then add smart cards and other media later
- Start with fare capping or ABT in a limited form, then expand once ridership patterns are understood
- Integrate with existing systems through APIs and SDKs without rebuilding the back office
This reduces risk, improves time-to-value, and lets agencies modernize in a way that matches funding cycles and operational realities.
The big picture: delivery is becoming a competitive advantage
Fare collection has reached a turning point.
The old model, slow, risky, custom, can’t keep pace with what riders and agencies need. SaaS is proving that modernization can be faster, more scalable, and more repeatable year after year.
2024: 42 major upgrades
2025: 93 major upgrades, 15% faster launches, and 39 projects running concurrently
That’s not just a bigger number. It’s evidence that a platform delivery model compounds: the more you deliver, the more efficiently you deliver.
Don’t build. Configure. Don’t wait. Launch.
