Metropolitan Evansville Transit System agrees to contract with Matawan to modernize bus fare collection system
The Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS) has agreed to a five-year agreement with Matawan, to completely modernize the city’s bus fare collection system with its account-based ticketing (ABT) and open payment system. METS says the initiative offers increased accessibility and equity for over one million annual METS riders by allowing payment via cash, credit or debit across 29 buses and 21 routes.
“Our top priority was ensuring modernization didn’t mean exclusion. Matawan understood this immediately,” said Evansville Transportation and Services Director Todd Robertson. “Their ability to blend paying by bank credit card, debit card or mobile wallet with a system for digitizing cash fares will allow us to expand the ability to sell bus passes through a third-party vender in the future, if needed.”
METS says it will be gaining the following with the partnership:
- Inclusive access: Existing fareboxes are retained, and physical cash top-ups are integrated via local retail partners—effectively digitizing cash for the unbanked—while simultaneously accepting standard EMV (credit/debit card) and mobile wallet payments.
- Dynamic fare engine: Providing the flexibility to easily implement programs, such as popular free ride days, without system overhaul—a feature often difficult for legacy systems to manage.
- Fare capping: Automatically ensuring riders never pay more than the daily or weekly pass price, regardless of how often they tap.
"Matawan's proven and innovative SaaS fare payment platform will enable METS to achieve their goals and improve the user experience," said Matawan Managing Director of North America Ian Woodroofe. "Our solution ensures that while we digitize and streamline operations, we don’t leave anyone behind. We are digitizing cash, ensuring every rider—whether they use a card, mobile wallet, or cash—benefits from flexible, fair and data-driven mobility."