Oxnard, Calif.’s Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) launched a mobile ticketing application pilot in partnership with Token Transit that gives customers a new and cashless fare payment choice.

As part of GCTD's commitment to providing a better customer experience, the Token Transit application will evolve fare payment methods and allow customers to purchase and activate GCTD passes using their smartphones before boarding the bus.

A system for easy mobile payments creates more access for passengers to purchase passes with a click of a button. With more accessibility, GCTD hopes to attract and engage with new customers who might not ordinarily choose public transit as a means of mobility.

Nearly half of GCTD customers still pay fares by depositing cash into the farebox, as opposed to using prepaid forms of payment. Depositing cash in the farebox takes approximately 22 seconds per boarding, whereas a cashless fare transaction takes only four to five seconds. GCTD hopes that by encouraging more passengers to use the mobile app, trip speeds will improve, which continually ranks high in priority in customer feedback surveys.

The app will be evaluated after the first year to determine whether customers feel that the mobile fare payment is beneficial, in addition to GCTD staff determining the cost/benefit of permanently adding the App to GCTD’s menu of fare media payment options.

For a limited time, passengers using the app will get 50% off the first purchase of a multi-ride or 31-day pass. Funding for the app and discounted passes are made possible by California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment.