Flowbird Transport Intelligence has announced that its new mobile ticketing app, ‘Loop Trolley,’ is now live for trolley riders in St. Louis, Missouri. The free app, now available on the Apple iOS, allows riders to purchase trolley tickets remotely at any time and activate them when they are ready to ride.
The trolley, a downtown St. Louis streetcar, runs a 2.2-mile fixed-track route and serves as a major mode of transportation for visitors to the downtown core. With the addition of Flowbird’s ‘Loop Trolley’ app, riders may now purchase trolley tickets in advance, track their ticket history and trip log, and even view station stops and attractions along the route.
Since November 2018, payments for trolley rides have been accepted at one of the 14 Flowbird Strada Ticket Vending Machines. With the launch of the mobile app, riders now have an additional convenient way to pay for the trolley. Both the TVMs and the app are integrated into the same cloud-based system, allowing the fare structure to be mirrored on both payment means. The Loop Trolley fare structure consists of a “Two Hour Fare” and an “All Day Fare”, with the ability for seniors, people with disabilities, and young children to receive a 50% reduced fare.
For payment validation, riders scan the QR code from the mobile app or their physical ticket at one of Flowbird’s Axio validators. The Axio devices are located at each entrance to the trolley vehicles. All transaction and validation information is available for analysis in Flowbird’s web based myFare back-office system.
“We are excited about our new app and the convenience it offers to Trolley passengers,” said Loop Trolley Company Executive Director, Kevin Barbeau, “Passengers can purchase tickets ahead of time, activate their ticket when they’re ready to ride, and come aboard the trolley.”
Currently, The Loop Trolley Company operates two heritage streetcars and are currently testing a 3rd trolley car from the 1920’s, scheduled to be ready for service in late spring, 2019. The streetcars link the Delmar Loop, “One of the 10 Great Streets in America” to the country’s “#1 City Park”, Forest Park.
