Masabi has unveiled Passenger, a rider solution that brings journey planning, fare payments, concessions and real-time travel information together in a single agency-branded app.

Launched at the American Public Transportation Association’s TRANSform and EXPO that took place from Oct. 4 through Oct. 7 in Chicago, Passenger seeks to expand Masabi’s rider experience beyond fare collection, providing the option to transit agencies for a single digital channel through which riders can plan their journey, pay their fare and travel, in their own branded app.

Built on Masabi’s Justride platform, Passenger is designed to give agencies greater ownership of the rider relationship while working to make public transit simpler and more accessible. Masabi says that Passenger is already the United Kingdom market leader, serving more than two million riders a month and is rated above 4.7 in the app stores. It allows riders to plan a route, check live departures and service information, buy tickets or passes, access concessions and manage their account without moving between different apps or channels.

“Transit riders increasingly expect the same simple, connected digital experience they receive in every other part of their lives,” said Masabi CEO Brian Zanghi. “With Passenger, agencies can bring the entire journey together in an app carrying their own brand, creating a simpler experience for riders while gaining a much clearer understanding of how people want to move across their network. It turns everyday interactions into an opportunity to build trust, improve communication and make transit easier to use while keeping the agency’s brand and relationship with the rider front and center.”

Masabi says that Passenger brings three core areas of the rider experience together within a single app:

• Journey Intelligence: Riders can plan journeys and compare route options, find nearby stops, check live departures, receive service alerts and disruption updates.
• Fare Payments: The app supports mobile ticketing and account-based ticketing, including full and concessionary fare products, open payments trip history and account management. Where enabled by an agency, riders can also benefit from fare capping so they automatically receive the best available fare for their travel.
• Concessions: Passenger brings concession eligibility verification directly into the app, allowing eligible riders to access the correct fare without having to visit a customer service counter or complete a separate manual process.

Masabi says that Passenger has been designed around the different ways people use transit. Daily commuters are able to quickly check live departures, receive disruption alerts and access their pass in the same place each day. Riders making unfamiliar journeys can plan their route before paying. Students and concession riders can verify eligibility and access the correct fare in-app, while visitors and occasional riders can understand the network and pay without first having to learn how the local fare system works. 

Masabi says it’s committed to giving agencies choice: whether that means ticketing through Passenger, a third-party app, a bespoke agency app or more than one rider experience, agencies can choose the digital approach that works best for their riders and network.