Sunglasses, Sunscreen... Smartphone? App Puts Jersey Shore Beach Badges At Your Fingertips
by KYW tech editor Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This summer, several Jersey Shore towns are getting with the times: they're offering beach badges by way of smartphone app.
No cash? No problem -- in Sea Isle City, Ventnor, Longport, Seaside Heights, and Manasquan.
"Individuals going to those beaches can buy their beach passes through the Viply app in advance and when they get to the beach they can avoid the long lines," says the app's CEO and co-founder, John Masterson.
Season tags are now available on the app, with some towns offering an early bird discount. Once it's actually swimsuit season, daily badges will be a tap away.
"You're reserving your badge and buying via credit card through the app, and scanning in when you get to the beach," he explains.
At that checkpoint (or the municipal building), you'll still get a physical pass or bracelet, so you can walk on and off the beach with ease -- and so there's no fraud.
"We wanted to mitigate any kind of sharing," Masterson says. "So people can't buy a badge and tell their friend to log in as me and then go scan in too."
The shore point can shoulder Viply's small transaction fee or can pass it on to the customer as a convenience fee.
"The money collected is automatically deposited into the towns' accounts," Masterson says.
Viply is free for iPhone now and is expected on Android this summer.
