City of Conroe selects Matawan to deploy fare collection system for city’s commuter bus service

The city of Conroe, Texas, selected Matawan to deploy a fare collection system for the city’s commuter bus service. The city says its commuter bus service provides transportation into downtown Houston, and the partnership with Matawan is designed to streamline daily commutes. 

As part of its modernization plan, the city of Conroe sought a robust platform to eliminate “exact change” constraints and elevate customer satisfaction. Matawan’s Wanfare solution will provide riders with a singular, intuitive interface to purchase tickets, track buses in real-time and manage their accounts. 

“Our primary objective with this new system is to improve the rider experience and simplify the boarding process,” said Conroe Transit Program Manager Frederick Johnson. “By transitioning to a cashless, mobile ticketing system with open payments, we are making it easier than ever for our residents to ride Conroe’s buses while simultaneously increasing our operational efficiency and offering robust new transit pass distribution options for local employers.”  

The city notes that through this deployment, riders will benefit from a custom mobile application available on iOS and Android, enabling ticket purchase and validation directly from a smartphone. Key innovations include: 

• Seamless boarding through open payment: Passengers can board and pay by tapping their contactless credit/debit card or smartphone on new validators, speeding up the boarding process. 
• Dynamic fare policy with fare capping: Multiple single trips will automatically convert to a daily or monthly pass once the equivalent value is reached, ensuring equitable pricing for all. 
• Cash digitization for inclusive retail network: Through a partnership with InComm, riders who prefer to use cash can reload their accounts or digitize their cash at a vast network of local retail stores. 

For the Conroe administration, the platform offers a comprehensive dashboard allowing real-time tracking of revenue and ridership, along with artificial intelligence-powered analysis tools to optimize the network. 

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the city of Conroe to bring our vision of connected mobility to Texas,” said Matawan Managing Director for North America Ian Woodroofe. “Our solution is not just a payment tool; it is a lever to increase the attractiveness of public transit by making it more accessible, simpler and smoother for every citizen.” 

The full launch of the new system is scheduled this year following a testing phase.