The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) is trialling a contactless mobile ticketing solution that aims to make riding public transit in Ann Arbour, Michigan, safer and more convenient than previously.

TheRide has joined 13 other transit agencies that already sell their fares on the EZfare regional fare payment system, which is powered by fare payments-as-a-service provider, Masabi.

Mobile ticketing is considered an important component in helping make transit as safe as possible by removing the need to physically exchange currency, tickets or passes.

Public transportation services

All 13 other transit agencies are members of NEORide, a council of governments comprising 16 transit systems dedicated to the development and promotion of regional public transportation services. With the addition of TheRide, EZfare becomes a tri-state mobile ticketing platform and, according to Masabi, is now the largest of its kind in the US.

“While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact our agency, we are pleased to be able to introduce a contactless method of payment for riders,” said John Metzinger, deputy CEO, finance and administration at TheRide.

“This pilot project will help reduce the risk of virus transmission while using our system, while also allowing TheRide to test community reactions and the potential for a permanent mobile ticket option in the future.”

Available as a free download from both the App Store and Google Play, the EZfare app enables customers to purchase fares anytime, anywhere and travel to their destination with just a few taps of their smartphone.

“This pilot project will help reduce the risk of virus transmission while using our system, while also allowing TheRide to test community reactions”

Ticketing across the three states of Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky, 14 agencies and multiple apps has been enabled using Masabi’s Justride SDK, the world’s first mobile ticketing software development kit (SDK) for public transportation, to create a ‘seamless’ passenger experience combining public transit and shared mobility services.

“We’re excited to be expanding EZfare to a tri-state region with the addition of TheRide,” added Ben Capelle, president of NEORide and Laketran CEO. “One of the goals of NEORide is to make public transportation more efficient and easier to use through coordination. By adding more transit systems to the EZfare platform, we are making this payment technology more affordable and accessible to both the agencies and transit users.”

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