The MBTA announced today that by this fall, riders should be able to use their smartphones as replacements for their current paper passes.
The T's signed a contract with a British e-ticketing company for a system that will let iPhone, Android and Blackberry users hold up their phones to conductors rather than passes.
The new system means the end of the promise to let riders use CharlieCards on commuter rail. However, riders will be able to link CharlieCards to their smartphone accounts, eliminating the need for paper tickets at connecting subway or bus lines.
The new solution will help the MBTA reduce costs by eliminating the need for additional vending machines and lowering cash handling costs. To help combat fare evasion, all mobile tickets will have barcodes allowing for validation. Throughout the pilot program, smart phone-equipped train conductors will be checking tickets to ensure their validity. Masabi will provide a comprehensive mTicketing solution including; consumer-facing applications, backend servers, payment integration and scanning/validation software for train conductors.
The T plans focus groups and a small pilot project by this summer to help fine tune the system, with full availability scheduled for this fall.
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