START Aims to Modernize Its Services

Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit (START) has announced that it has chosen Equans, Masabi, and the Transit app to deliver solutions aimed at modernizing its services to improve reliability, efficiency, and the passenger experience.

START serves more than 1,000,000 riders a year, servicing both residents and visitors in the Town of Jackson and Teton County, Wyoming, and the surrounding areas.

• Equans will provide its NAVINEO Integrated Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) including:
• Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) featuring real-time dispatch functionalities for detour or trip cancellation information.
• Automatic Voice Annunciation (AVA), which will supply data to interior next-stop signage and announcements.
• Real-time passenger information via the Transit app.
• A link to General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS/GTFS RT), which will allow riders to be informed about their bus location and its arrival information, as well as give START useful information about the use of bus validator by location. 

Improving Customer Experience

Equans’ performance reporting module will provide START with the ability to easily retrieve, summarize, and analyze performance data for internal use and planning, as well as for satisfying all requirements for federal reporting to the National Transit Database (NTD) including vehicle revenue miles, vehicle revenue hours, passenger miles travelled and unlinked passenger trips.

Ticketing innovation using riders' mobile phones and new START smart cards will be provided by Masabi, the company bringing Fare Payments-as-a-Service to public transit. Masabi will deploy a next-generation Account-Based Ticketing system across the entire START network, powered by the Justride platform. 

The new system will greatly improve the customer experience — with passengers no longer needing to select fares or purchase tickets before boarding and instead simply tapping their mobile devices or smart cards to travel, increasing passenger safety and helping speed up boarding times. Thanks to new Fare Capping technology, riders will be charged the best prices for their trips delivering enhanced fare equity and accessibility for passengers. 

Thanks to the integrations between the Transit app, Masabi, and Equans, riders in the Southern Teton Area will be able to plan their journeys, pay their fares, and ride — all through a single Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) app.

“As the home of Yellowstone National Park and one of the best winter sports destinations in the world, how Jackson and the surrounding area presents itself to visitors is vital,” said Bruce Abel, Transit Director at START.

“This partnership with Equans, Masabi and the Transit app will see great improvements to our reliability and consistency of service delivery, putting more information into riders’ hands than ever before and making purchasing tickets and boarding START buses as easy as pressing a couple of buttons on your smartphone device,” Abel added.

“Equans is excited to partner with START to deliver a fully integrated Intelligent Transportation System that will improve reliability and consistency in START service delivery for local riders and tourists, and ultimately delivers a better passenger experience through accurate real-time passenger information.” Said Stephan Goguet, COO at Ineo Systrans USA, an Equans company.

“Towns and cities across the world are racing to deploy solutions that will resolve the inconveniences and time-consuming task management elements involved in delivering a transit service,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO at Masabi.

“We’re delighted to have been chosen to provide Account-Based Ticketing to one of the most recognizable tourist destinations in the United States. This implementation of the Equans CAD/AVL and real-time information system, with Masabi’s Account-Based Ticketing alongside our deployment-proven partnership with Transit App means that START riders will now have access to cutting-edge ticketing and passenger information, delivering a practical Mobility as a Service (MaaS) experience,” Zanghi added.

“At Transit, our top priority is giving agencies the support they need to deliver reliable, top-notch service,” said David Block-Schachter, CBO at Transit. We’re excited to work with START, Equans, and Masabi to deploy solutions that will not just improve the rider experience, but also increase equity and access for riders across the Southern Teton area.”