READING, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Access-IS, a market leader in the ticket reading and validation sector, is delighted to have worked with Passport Inc. and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) to help deliver a truly modern ticketing ecosystem.
The JTA wanted to launch a fully functional mobile ticketing solution that would provide an easier transit experience for their riders. Along with other technological initiatives, this mobile ticketing app was a part of the JTA’s larger vision of a more connected transit system. To coincide with the launch of Jacksonville’s new Bus Rapid Transit System (the First Coast Flyers) and other technology updates, the JTA selected Passport Inc. to deliver a new mobile ticketing app and Access-IS to provide the on-board hardware.
Access-IS VAL100 validators were installed on over 200 buses with riders able to scan their mobile tickets through the MyJTA app as they board the bus, leading to reduced on-boarding time. The mobile ticket also includes passback logic, which prevents riders from rescanning tickets, therefore reducing fraud and protecting the agency against violators.
With increased mobile utilization, the JTA saw a significant decrease in the amount of physical tickets printed, leading to over $40,000 in savings from print and paper costs in the first year alone. In addition to these savings, mobile ticketing reduces the authority’s reliance on expensive hardware (ticket vending machines) that is prone to wear and tear and reduces administrative and maintenance processes.
With the increasing popularity of smartphones, it’s no surprise the MyJTA app has been a success in Jacksonville, Florida. Year-on-year, the JTA achieved a 550% increase (or 5.5x increase) on the mobile platform from mobile tickets bought through the app and that number continues to grow. With a mobile app, the JTA can stay at the forefront of technology and make its transit system more accessible to its customers — even expanding its customer base. It’s critical to projects like this that the on-board infrastructure is as forward thinking as the mobile ticketing. Catering to riders with printed and electronic barcodes or NFC tickets presented at any angle to a single point of presentation, delivers a truly intuitive passenger experience.
The VAL100 On-board Validator is designed for use in a variety of public transportation automatic fare collection systems. It combines a proven multimedia ticket reader with an open architecture Linux computer to create a mobile ticket validation solution, when combined with third party software. The unit can be specified in multiple configurations to cater for any on-board or back end infrastructure and can even be fitted with a contactless EMV payment reader.
Speaking about the ticketing transformation, Greg Hayes, CFO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority said “Everything we do at JTA is with the customer in mind. This app and the on-board hardware give customers more choice, more flexibility and improves the customer experience. For the JTA, it’s much more cost efficient and it prepares us for the future”.
