One-third of riders in a recent survey said the current system is too complex and difficult to understand.
The six-month program allows private shuttle buses operated by participating companies to use public transit stops.
The agency first tapped Intersection in 2005, when, operating as Titan, the company won a competitive contract granting the exclusive rights to sell advertising on its 1,400 buses and facilities
The move would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality and public health — key goals outlined in King County’s strategic plans on climate and social justice.
Many agencies still rely on expensive proprietary software for trip planning and real-time customer information, which present such issues as lack of user-friendly interfaces and a concomitant price structure in which license renewals and software modifications generally cost in the thousands annually.
Sound Transit's Peter Rogoff and King County Metro GM Rob Gannon met Monday after rail and bus service to and from the SeaTac/Airport station was interrupted for about 30 minutes Saturday at the request of Port of Seattle law enforcement officials.
The agency is starting with 20 buses totaling $15.12 million. Eight of which are slated to enter service this year.
The Transit GO Ticket app pilot project was created under contract by Bytemark, which has similar systems in use in Austin, Texas; Massachusetts DOT; and Atlanta.
Gannon, 47, served as interim GM from March 2016 until now. He was Metro Deputy GM from 2013-2016, and Human Resources manager for the King County DOT from 2011-2013.
The program could help decrease the number of vehicles on the road and increase Metro’s ridership.