San Diego transit launches mobile ticketing pilot

San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and transit mobile ticketing technology supplier Masabi launched a pilot for MTS mTicket, a mobile ticketing app that lets riders use their smartphones to purchase day passes when riding the Trolley to Chargers and Aztecs football games this season.

MTS mTicket is available for the first Chargers game on September 9 and can be used to purchase tickets in advance of travel. Riders can buy trolley day passes for one or multiple games. The mTicket trolley day passes will also be available for the Poinsettia and Holiday Bowls. MTS may make mTicket available for other special events such as ComicCon.

“This new product is a game changer for our riders,” said Paul Jablonski, CEO of MTS. “Now they don’t need to wait in line to buy a ticket. They don’t need a Compass Card. They can buy a Trolley pass to the game anywhere, anytime. It adds a level of convenience that our customers want.”

The free app can be downloaded from Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for iPhone. Once downloaded, riders can securely purchase tickets in seconds with their smartphones using all major credit or debit cards. The cost of the MTS mTicket day pass for trolley travel is $5.50, which is less than the cost of paper tickets.   

Once purchased, the ticket will appear on the smartphone for immediate activation or can be stored in the app for future use.

An added benefit of using the mTicket is that, when leaving the game, riders can avoid departure lines with exclusive access to the mTicket express lane, allowing rapid entry to the trolley platform.

The mTicket day pass is valid for unlimited rides on game days on all MTS Trolley lines.

Last Saturday, during a trial launch of the new technology at the San Diego State University Trolley Station prior to the Aztecs game against Northern Illinois, more than 900 mTickets were sold. Dozens of riders downloaded the app and purchased tickets within minutes. After initial download and setup, subsequent purchases will take as little as 20 seconds.

The pilot is a first step by MTS in delivering with new, exciting approaches to fare collection. By leveraging Masabi’s JustRide mobile ticketing system, MTS was able to complete all development of this application within just two weeks of project kickoff.  

Masabi’s JustRide is a cloud-based end-to-end mobile ticketing and fare collection system. The company provides mobile ticketing to 14 transit properties globally, including Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and Virgin Trains in the UK.