Los Angeles Department of Transportation is the first transit agency in California to create a system-wide mobile ticketing app
Mayor Eric Garcetti today launched LA Mobile, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s (LADOT) app that lets riders buy tickets on their smartphones for LADOT operated DASH and Commuter Express buses. The launch makes LADOT the first transit agency in California to create a system-wide mobile ticketing app. Mayor Garcetti demonstrated LA Mobile during a ride on a downtown DASH bus.
“My back to basics agenda is about improving the daily lives of our residents, and technology is an important tool in our efforts to fight traffic and make city government more customer friendly,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Making it more convenient to use transit will encourage more people to do so, helping cut traffic and smog.”
LADOT Transit partnered with the Portland, Oregon–based GlobeSherpa to develop the LA Mobile application. GlobeSherpa is a leading developer and provider of mobile payment solutions and services for the transportation industry.
LA Mobile allows riders to purchase LADOT passes and tickets using their iOS or Android smartphones with a credit or debit card. The LA Mobile application can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
“LA Mobile brings DASH and Commuter Express fares to your fingertips on your mobile device,” said LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds. “The LA Mobile App is free and easy to use on iPhones and Android phones. As the first transit agency in California to demonstrate the concept of mobile ticketing system-wide, we look forward to continually working to develop technology for the benefit of our riders. We are proud of our leadership and look forward to healthy competiton to be the greenest, most tech-savvy transit system in the region.
Riders simply present the animated, interactive ticket on their smartphone screen to the driver. All LADOT Transit fare products are available on LA Mobile with the exception of reduced fares for seniors, students, and the disabled that require eligibility determinations by Metro.
“The LA Mobile ticketing application represents a significant step forward for riders in the city,” said Tony Tom, Executive Vice President at GlobeSherpa. “We are proud to partner with LADOT to demonstrate this intuitive and easy-to-use mobile application, and look forward to bringing this technology to other agencies in the LA Basin.”
About LADOT Transit
The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation is the second largest provider of public transit service in Los Angeles. LADOT provides Commuter Express, point-to-point bus service from the San Fernando Valley, Thousand Oaks, Calabasas, the Beach Cities, El Segundo, and the Westside to Downtown Los Angeles and from Pasadena to Glendale. DASH community circulator bus services operate in Downtown Los Angeles and 26 other neighborhoods in the city. Cityride is the largest voluntary paratransit program of its kind in the nation offering essential transportation services to seniors and the mobility challenged.
About GlobeSherpa
GlobeSherpa provides a secure, mobile payment platform for transit systems interested in moving to open payments, open data, and mobile fare collection with minimal infrastructure investment. GlobeSherpa is developing next generation mobile technologies using Bluetooth Low Energy and Near Field Communications and integrating those with its robust back-office business intelligence software to reduce the cost of fare collection and improve operations for transit. For more information about GlobeSherpa, please visit www.globesherpa.com