Westmoreland County Transit Authority launches mobile ticketing ability

Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus riders can now pay fares via smart phones.

Authority officials announced Tuesday a mobile ticketing app has been launched to expand the agency’s ability to accept cashless fares.

The app, WestMore Tix, can be downloaded through Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Passengers who use the app can pay for rides using a credit or debit card or via digital payment services such as Masterpass and Apple Pay. Monthly, 10-trip and single passes for all three travel zones part of the authority’s fixed-route bus service throughout Westmoreland County and into Pittsburgh are available. Once purchased, passengers activate their tickets and then show them to the driver when boarding the bus.

“This will not only help to modernize our operation, but it will also offer the riders of Westmoreland Transit a convenient and immediate way to purchase tickets,” said Meghan Yuhouse, the authority’s director of operations. “We are excited to be deploying Masabi’s market-leading mobile ticketing platform and providing our riders with seamless transit access through seamless ticket purchase anytime, anywhere.”

Masabi, the company that operates the digital-ticketing system, will be paid an 8% fee from all fares purchased through its app. The authority made no initial financial investment for the system.

Passengers will still be able to pay bus fares with cash or through the existing ConnectCard system that was installed last year, Yuhouse said.

Authority officials said technical issues have marred the ConnectCard system since it was first implemented as part of a $558,000 project with the Port Authority of Allegheny County, to use the cashless fare system on local buses. About 60% of the authority’s bus riders currently use the ConnectCard system.

“We still have a large problem with the ConnectCard product being pushed to the actual card,” Yuhouse said.

As a result, since September, the authority has refused to pay the Massachusetts company that operates the ConnectCard system its $30,000 annual maintenance fee.