NEORide and Masabi have worked together to launch EZfare, a cashless, multi-app fare payment solution, across the 13 transit systems that make up NEORide.
This collaboration will help make riding public transit across agencies and states easier and more convenient. This month, 12 transit systems will launch EZfare with the 13th planned for January 2020.
“We set out to create a seamless payment and mobile ticketing system that will vastly improve the service we offer existing riders and help our agencies attract new ones,” said Ben Capelle, Laketran CEO and NEORide Board president. “We recognize that standing in line at a transit center can be time consuming and frustrating for regular riders and totally bewildering for people who have never used public transit, especially if a trip involves using multiple systems to reach a location in another county. EZfare eliminates those challenges by eliminating the need to obtain paper tickets and transfers.”
Eight systems will launch EZfare Oct. 14:
Laketran (Lake County)
MCPT (Medina County)
METRO RTA (Summit County)
PARTA (Portage County)
Sandusky Transit (Erie County)
SARTA (Stark County)
TARTA (Lucas County)
WRTA (Mahoning County)
Three will launch Oct. 23:
BCRTA (Butler County)
SORTA (Hamilton County)
TANK (Northern Kentucky)
The Cincinnati Bell Connector (Cincinnati Streetcar) is launching October 30th and the Lancaster-Fairfield Transit system is launching in January 2020.
The app is available from both the App Store and Google Play by searching for EZfare. Once downloaded, transit riders can use the app to pay fares or purchase tickets for any of the participating transit systems.
“Once a customer downloads EZfare, their smartphone or tablet becomes their ticket to ride to any of the thousands of destinations served by our systems,” Capelle said. “EZfare is, quite simply, the easiest way to pay for and use public transit. That’s why we’re excited about the launch and eager for the public to take the app for a spin.”
EZfare tickets are also available within Transit, a real-time journey planning app. Transit’s integration of the EZfare platform via Masabi’s Justride SDK enables transit ticketing from within Transit’s existing application, reducing both time and cost for agencies wanting to offer a seamless experience to their passengers.
Along with improving the rider experience, Capelle said EZfare will enable NEORide and its member agencies to accomplish one of their primary goals: developing regional transportation networks that make it easy for people to use public transit to travel from county to county and community to community for any reason at any time.
“It shouldn’t be difficult for someone who lives in southern Stark County to ride the bus to and from their job in northern Summit County,” he said. “The same goes for students, seniors, shoppers, anyone who needs to go anywhere in the communities we serve should be able to use public transit to get there. We’re already the most affordable transportation option, EZfare represents a significant step forward in making us the most convenient.”
All participating transit agencies are members of NEORide, a council of governments comprised of 13 transit systems dedicated to the development and promotion of regional public transportation services.