After months of waiting, testing, and getting customer feedback, the T’s mobile-ticketing app has finally hit the tracks.
The MBTA announced that starting Monday, November 12, all North Station Commuter Rail Line customers will have the ability to board their train and purchase a ticket using a new smartphone app and skip the daunting lines by paying their fare on their phone.
“With this new application, Commuter Rail users don’t have to wait in line to purchase tickets nor pay a surcharge for buying tickets aboard trains. Customers may purchase a ticket in seconds – anywhere, anytime,” said Acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis. “Mobile ticketing offers customers the convenience and simplicity that makes it easier than ever to use public transit.”
The app has been in the works since the MBTA signed an agreement with British mobile-ticketing company Masabi US several months back. The company developed the concept for the MBTA, making it the first in the country to have mobile ticketing.
A select few Commuter Rail riders had a chance to get their hands on the MBTA’s mobile ticket purchasing app prior to its official launch on Monday—and for the most part, participants were pleased with the product.
“I like it. I think it’s easy to use,” said Tracy Heather Strain, when she tested the app for the T over the summer. “It’s an exciting step forward.”
Strain, who takes the Commuter Rail three times a week, described the app as having a “brightness and energy to make usability better.”
“It is pretty intuitive,” she said at the time of the tryouts.
Right now, North Station customers can download the app for their iPhone or Android device and use it for select ticket options. A version is expected to be released later on for Blackberry devices.
By downloading the free app and using a credit or debit card, customers can purchase a one-way, 10-day or round trip pass, according to the T’s website.
Monthly passes are expected to be available in the winter.
The roll out is a first step in introducing a paperless system on the Commuter Rail. Riders who use the South Station Commuter Rail trains and Commuter Boats should be able to utilize the new app sometime after Thanksgiving.
The move should save the MBTA some money, since it will eliminate the need for additional ticket kiosks and knock out the use of paper expenses. Train conductors will be trained to check tickets using a smartphone device, potentially curbing fare evasion and ticket scams, T officials told BostInno over the summer.
You can download the apps here:
iOS: http://bit.ly/SZ1Leu
Android: http://bit.ly/Q759Vp
