By Lookout Staff

November 14, 2019 -- Big Blue Bus (BBB) passengers can now buy single ride passes using the agency's mobile app and payment system in what is the first collaboration of its kind, BBB officials announced Tuesday.

The popular Transit app, which provides real-time public transit data, can now be used to pay the BBB fare using Token Transit, the app used to purchase fares using a mobile phone.

The Transit app is currently used by tens of thousands of Santa Monica BBB riders each month to plan a trip, track a ride and make multimodal connections.

"Adding Big Blue Bus Single Ride passes is a natural next step," said David Block-Schachter, Transit's Chief Business Officer.

"By making it easy for riders to purchase tickets in their favorite app, Big Blue Bus is setting the tone for other transit agencies across the nation."

To purchase a ticket, customers can tap "buy ticket" next to the Big Blue Bus logo at the bottom of their screen inside the app, which guides users through the step-by-step process, agency officials said.

The ticket is immediately activated and shown to a bus driver. The ticket remains activated for 30 minutes after it is purchased.

BBB plans to make all types of passes available for purchase this winter using the Transit app, agency officials said.

"Many Big Blue Bus customers already use Transit to plan trips and get real-time bus arrival information," said Ed King, the agency's director of transit services.

"Offering single ride passes in the app was a logical next step toward improving the ease of use and accessibility of our system," King said.

Users can use Transit to view nearby routes and departure times and navigate the region using accurate real time bus ETAs and trip planning, officials said.

The app also covers other modes of transit, including Metro, DASH, bikeshare and scooters, as well as Uber and Lyft.

Transit has millions of active users in more than 200 cities worldwide.

Token Transit is used in more than 80 cities in the U.S. and Canada, including Santa Monica.

"Token Transit is excited to launch its first integrated trip planning and fare payment experience with Transit and Big Blue Bus," said Morgan Conbere, founder and CEO at Token Transit.

Santa Monica's program marks the first collaboration between Transit and Token Transit and the latest multimodal deployment for Transit, which allows riders to pay for different mobility services across North America using one account.

In addition to the Big Blue Bus, other agencies include RTD in Denver; Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C.; Metro in Cincinnati; Divvy bikeshare in Chicago; Bike Share Toronto, and St. Catharines Transit in Ontario, Canada.

To download Transit for iPhone and Android visit www.transitapp.com.
https://transitapp.com/