Transit has launched Royale, an app that includes a subscription service for riders.

The app will be available in cities where the company does not have a partnership with the local transit agency.

“Almost a decade ago, I started Transit with my co-founder Guillaume [Campagna]. We didn’t follow the path of some other transportation apps, which rely on selling personal data, running ads, or competing against public transit. Instead, we built an app that puts transit riders first,” said Sam Vermette, CEO of Transit. “Now with Royale, we’re launching a model that’s supported by both users and partner transit agencies. It means we can keep building an app that stays true to riders over the long term.”

Transit Royale costs $24.99 per year. Riders can also pay $4.99 per month, which will give users access to full schedules and maps for transit lines that are farther away.

The core features of Transit’s app are next departures, trip planning, mobile ticketing, and multimodal integrations will remain free for all users.

Royale subscribers will see extra features and customization options, such as app themes and icons inspired by transit systems around the world, a custom avatar, and nickname.

The app has already been tested by over 300,000 Transit users in 16 cities.

Royale will launch in partner cities in 2022, including those that have already signed up to give Royale to all their riders such as RTD in Denver, Metro Transit in St. Louis, Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, RTA in Dayton, and RTS in Rochester.

“Our partnership with Transit has enabled us to provide a customer-focused, best-in-class mobile experience for our riders,” said Ed King, Department of Transportation director at City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus. “These innovative enhancements will improve the user experience and allow customers to continue making informed choices as they navigate Santa Monica and the Westside of Los Angeles.”