NEORide, working in conjunction with Masabi, announced the launch of Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) for EZfare, the regional fare payment solution used by transit agencies across Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

The move will bring Account-Based Ticketing to 11 agencies across their network, including Cleveland and Cincinnati, with more agencies following thereafter.

PARTA Launches ABT

The first agency to launch is Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA), which went live on July 10.

PARTA riders are now able to scan the EZfare app when boarding the bus or use new EZfare smart cards to Tap & Ride.

Riders will be able to use the same app and card to ride on all of the EZfare transit networks participating in ABT.

ABT Delivers Fare Capping and More

The system also delivers fare capping, ensuring that all riders are guaranteed to pay the lowest possible fare regardless of how they pay for travel.

For riders using the EZfare app and smart cards, the system facilitates payments across all participating agencies, with the added benefit of daily, weekly, and monthly fare capping for each agency, based on their own fare rules.

The new solution supports all rider groups including the unbanked and underbanked as well as providing support for riders requiring concessions and partner programs run by EZfare agencies.

Riders will still be able to purchase tickets using existing EZfare-enabled apps including Transit, Uber, and Moovit. 

This latest development is made possible through the use of Masabi’s Fare Payments-as-a-Service (FPaaS) approach, delivering agencies the latest fare payment innovations using Justride - a cloud-native multi-tenant platform.

This reduces the total cost of fare collection as the costs are shared between all users of the platform through reduced build, update, and maintenance costs.

“The upgrade to ABT for Justride customers is a testament to the power of the Fare Payment-as-a-Service approach – delivering continual innovation and improvement to all of our agency customers,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi. “Building on the ground-breaking success of EZfare to date, this latest innovation ensures that all riders are guaranteed access to the best possible fares, making transit even more attractive.”