Anaheim launches first public-private transportation and entertainment platform
Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) is launching a mobile transportation and entertainment app that will streamline and enhance the resort and convention experience. Using the RideART app, visitors to The Disney Resort® and Anaheim Resort® will be able to plan trips, buy park tickets, hail a Lyft car, and rent a vehicle from Enterprise, all from the same mobile platform.
RideART – a partnership between ATN, operator of the Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) service and mobility technology company Routematch – will be the primary mobile ticketing and real-time arrival-prediction platform for ART’s system of 21 bus routes in and around resorts. Users will be able to book Lyft rides for destinations not served by ART, such as local airports, the beach, and many other Orange County attractions. And RideART will deliver rental cars through Enterprise.
Future updates will allow guests to buy tickets to theme parks, sporting events, concerts and other attractions, using its mobile wallet functionality. Examples of these include tickets to major entertainment and tourist destinations such as the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Angels and Knotts Berry Farm, as well as regional and national transportation such as Metrolink and Amtrak.
Through its private-public partnership agreement with Routematch, an award-winning technology company that brings mobility options to communities, ART is also exploring RideART as revenue-sharing arrangements with local venues and destinations. The result is an innovation benefiting both public and private transportation and boosting entertainment options for travelers in and to Anaheim.
The combination of services makes RideART the first public/private transportation system and entertainment ticketing app – one which serves one of the largest travel destinations in the world.
And the app launches at a pivotal time, as The Disneyland® Resort opening its new Star Wars Galaxy Edge attractions, and as new luxury hotel properties move forward, including the new seven-story Westin Anaheim Resort.
“The new RideART app gives another boost to Southern California hospitality and travel just as the Resort district is in the international spotlight,” said Wincome CEO Paul Sanford, who oversees development of the Westin Anaheim Resort. “By combining private and public transportation with theme-park ticketing, RideART is a true innovation for the travel industry, and has the potential to transform other destinations as well.”
“ART has been an amazing partner,” said Pepper Harward, president of Routematch. “This mobility ecosystem really benefits visitors and locals alike. It also supports local businesses and improves access to venues that the community enjoy with their families. We’re excited that ART is embracing cutting-edge technology to elevate the rider experience and fuel economic development.”
“As both the Disneyland® Resort and The Anaheim Resort® continue to offer more efficient and integrated ways for visitors, locals and guests to experience Anaheim, ART will always be looking for new ways to make that experience more convenient,” said ART Executive Director Diana Kotler. “The RideART app will put all of those experiences right in the palm of your hand. In many cities, including Anaheim, transit serves as the glue of community resources. The RideART app intends to do the same in the Resort district and beyond.”
A Frictionless Hotel Connection
For decades, hotels in the Anaheim Resort have sold their guests tickets to Disney parks and other destinations. RideART frees them and their concierge teams from managing these sales. At the same time, Routematch has “geo-fenced” properties so that hotels get credit for selling the tickets. This and other conveniences have the support of Anaheim Resort hotels.
Travel agencies such as Getaway Today will also participate with a portal connecting to the RideART app. Disney hotels will promote the app but will continue selling Disney tickets on their own.
