DART selects GlobeSherpa for Dallas-Fort Worth mobile ticketing system

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) selected GlobeSherpa to provide a new end-to-end mobile phone ticketing software system for DART riders, integrated with the Comprehensive Payment System being developed by Vix Technology, the lead DART systems integrator.

The new mobile phone ticketing system will enhance the current app offerings and improve the way transit customers in the broader DFW area pay their fares. Designed to incorporate leading edge electronic payment technologies to make transit use more convenient for customers, the GlobeSherpa system will be integrated with Vix's market-leading eO account-based fare collection solution to provide DART an efficient and secure fare collection platform.

DART chose GlobeSherpa through a competitive process to create an enhanced, account-based mobile application, set to launch in 2017. As part of the project, GlobeSherpa and Vix Technology will work together to deliver the following features:

•  Ability to purchase, store, and use single or multiple DART fares on one mobile device.

•  Customized animated ticket and QR-code support for easy authentication by DART operators and inspectors.

• Ability to pay for fares using more than one credit or debit card.

• Industry-leading security to protect personal information and payments.

• Support for trip planning and real-time arrival information.

• Ability to manage a GoPass smart card account via a single account of record provision in Vix's eO platform, as well as top up value, set auto loads, and use transit benefits all right from a smartphone.

"DART embraced the concept of a mobile payment platform in 2011 and introduced a first generation mobile ticketing and trip planning app in September of 2013," DART's Executive VP/CFO David Leininger explained. "Our customers have enthusiastically embraced this initiative and were even more pleased when we were also able to incorporate in-app linkages to ride source entities such as Uber, Lyft and Zipcar. The selection of GlobeSherpa to advance our mobile platform to the next level of functionality and enhanced customer experience was made after careful consideration of the competitive offerings."

With GlobeSherpa's proven mobile ticketing system, DART will deliver industry-leading innovation to its riders at a fraction of the cost of traditional fare collection technology and improve operations through real-time reporting and geo-location data. GlobeSherpa's award-winning platform is currently live in some of the largest transit systems in the nation, including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Portland, and Houston.

The DART mobile ticketing app will be available for download from Google Play and Apple iTunes at no cost. The system is expected to become generally available in 2017 and will serve three transit agencies: DART, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority and the Denton County Transportation Authority.