Dayton RTA teams up with Masabi and Transit to launch Tapp Pay mobile fare payment option

The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has launched Tapp Pay, a new mobile fare payment system to help make it easier for customers to ride.

Tapp Pay integrates with Transit—the Greater Dayton RTA’s official, free real-time information and trip planning mobile application—to allow customers to purchase and use bus fare with their mobile devices.

The Greater Dayton RTA says it is excited to expand its partnership with Transit, which thousands of its customers already use for trip planning, tracking rides and making multimodal connections, while bringing in new partner Masabi, a fare Payments-as-a-Service provider, to further simplify the riding experience.

“We’re thrilled for the launch of Tapp Pay and what it means for our customers, especially during a time where customers can utilize this as a way to increase their social distance while riding,” said Brandon Policicchio, chief customer and business development officer, Greater Dayton RTA. “Now they can manage their entire transit experience from a single app.”

This announcement further expands upon the Greater Dayton RTA’s efforts to keep both passengers and employees safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. Tapp Pay’s launch is coming ahead of its expected summer launch in order to assist passengers with their social distancing efforts as those making essential trips can purchase both regular and reduced-fare passes using Transit without interacting with anyone else and store them in a wallet inside the app for later use. Once they are ready to board, passes can be activated and visually validated by the bus driver from a safe distance, which also speeds up the boarding process and limits issues at the fare box, Greater Dayton RTA officials said.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to ride public transportation. During the coronavirus response, drivers and essential workers depending on transit as a lifeline need to stay safe, and this solution helps them do that,” said David Block-Schachter, chief business officer, Transit. “RTA’s passengers already rely on Transit to find their next trip and track their ride. Adding Tapp Pay gives riders everything they need in one app. And by minimizing contact between drivers and riders, Tapp Pay in Transit helps keep everyone a little bit safer.”

Mobile ticketing in Transit is made possible through Masabi’s Justride SDK, which allows Transit to request fare types, make payments and deliver visual and dynamic barcode tickets to riders through secure ticket wallets. With the launch of Tapp Pay, the Greater Dayton RTA gains access to the Justride Hub, giving it real-time sales, usage and validation data as well as an extensive customer services interface.

“Providing a safe way for riders to access tickets and pay for transit services is crucial in helping transit agencies keep both riders and operators safe and keep crucial services going during the COVID-19 response,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO, Masabi. “The RTA has accelerated this launch and should be commended for the great work it has done, together with our partner Transit, to get this service live for riders in a short amount of time.”