Digital bus fares are now available to Regional Transportation Agency (RTA) of Central Maryland riders through the Transit mobile app. Thousands of RTA riders already use Transit every month to plan their trips and track their bus in real time.
Now, thanks to a partnership with Token Transit, an industry-leading mobile ticketing provider and RTA’s new fare payments platform, customers can plan, track and pay for a complete RTA journey all from the same app. This integration, where real-time multimodal trip planning and digital fare payment is available to transit users on the same platform, is the first of its kind in the state of Maryland.
To purchase mobile tickets, riders open the app and tap the “Buy ticket” button at the bottom of Transit’s home screen. Users can create a Transit account and enter their credit card information to purchase a ticket. When boarding, riders display the activated pass to their driver for visual validation.
In addition to simplifying travel for RTA customers, mobile ticketing in Transit provides another way to keep riders and operators safe during the pandemic. Touch-free payment with visual validation in Transit limits contact between drivers and riders while boarding, making it easy for riders to practice physical distancing at every step of their journey.
“With so many RTA customers already using Transit to get real-time bus arrival information, offering fares in the app was a logical next step toward improving the ease of use of our services,” said RTA General Manager Jason Quan. ”This initiative is one of many ways we are working to improve the accessibility of our system, especially given the challenges posed by COVID-19.”
Transit is available to download for iPhone and Android at www.transitapp.com or www.transitRTA.com/realtime.