MBTA To Launch First Smartphone Rail Ticketing System In US
BOSTON (CBS) – Paying for the commuter rail is about to get a little easier for people with smart phones.
Saturday, the MBTA announced that mobile ticketing will soon be available on the commuter rail. The system will be the first of its kind in the US.
Commuter rail riders will be able to download an app. for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry that allows them to purchase and store commuter rail tickets and passes right on their phones. The mobile tickets will have bar codes on them to avoid counterfeiting and fare evasion.
App users won't have to print anything out. They can just display the tickets right on their phones.
Monthly pass holders will be able to link a CharlieCard to their pass allowing them "tap-in" instead of using magnetic tickets for the MBTA subway and bus systems.
A pilot program will launch this summer and the mobile passes are expected to be available to all MBTA customers this fall.
The MBTA says it expects the app to reduce costs by eliminating the need for additional vending machines and lowering cash handling costs.
Masabi US Ltd, a transit mobile ticketing company, says this is their first mobile Ticketing system in the U.S.
