M-ticketing finds success in Massachusetts, US

Mobile ticketing firm Masabi said this week that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority processed more than $1m through its m-ticketing implementation within the first seven weeks of operation.

The MBTA is the fifth largest transit agency in the US, serving approximately 1.3 million passenger trips each weekday across subway, light rail, bus, commuter rail, paratransit, and ferry boat services in eastern Massachusetts.

UK-based developer Masabi brought the JustRide end-to-end m-ticketing system to Boston and processed over 100,000 tickets within the first two months. M-ticketing now represents nearly ten per cent of ticket sales on the network, the company said.

The system claims to be the first in the US to support full smartphone commuter rail ticketing allowing customers to use the MBTA iPhone and Android mTicket apps to purchase and then display rail tickets. Tickets are displayed on the phone’s screen as an encrypted barcode and as a human readable ticket.

“While early into the rollout, the app has exceeded expectations and the growth we are seeing is phenomenal,” said MBTA director of innovation Joshua Robin. “We are revolutionising how riders buy and use tickets on the commuter rail. Customers love the feeling of being able to purchase a ticket anywhere, anytime.”

In 2011, Masabi brought an m-ticketing application to UK rail firm Chiltern which enables passengers to buy, instantly receive and validate tickets through an app on their mobile phone.