Masabi and NEORide, a council of governments comprised of 17 transit systems dedicated to the development and promotion of regional public transportation services, announced that riders can now use cash to make purchases using the EZfare mobile ticketing app and the Transit app by depositing funds into their accounts at thousands of retail locations across Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and nationwide. The cash-to-mobile contactless mobile ticketing service has been made possible by a partnership between Masabi and InComm Payments.

The new service provides a safe way to pay for riders who have a phone — but want or need to pay their fare using cash — to access touch-free transit services. It will also help reduce the burden on the existing ticketing infrastructure and fare boxes by allowing riders to add cash to their mobile account and then store it for later use, reducing cash handling costs for agencies.

Riders can visit any retail outlet signed up to InComm Payments’ Vanilla Direct cash-in payment platform to preload cash onto their EZfare or Transit account. Retailers can add credit by accepting a cash payment and then scanning a barcode in the user’s app. The rider can then use the cash deposited to buy, store, and display tickets in their in-app wallet and enjoy a safe and convenient mobile ticketing experience.