As we recently reported on our Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, officials with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority released apps for smartphone users that allowed them to download tickets instead of getting the paper ones.
Well, the Metro Boston is reporting that it’s been a big success. The app was launched about three weeks ago and has already won over tons of riders. It was first used at the North Station and then at the Framingham/Worcester and Providence/Stoughton Commuter Lines.
Our Boston personal injury attorneys understand that the app had made sales totaling close to $250,000 as of Tuesday. Most of these sales were made from 10-ride passes — allowing users to buy multiple tickets at once. You can buy single passes, too. Either way, with the app there is no more waiting in lines and no more misplacing your ticket. All you have to do is keep your cell phone on you.
Right now, customers who purchase a month-long pass using the new app can get a $10 discount. That’s not an offer that’s going to last forever though.
“We’re not planning for it to be permanent. We’re trying it out during the pilot phase as a way to incentivize customers after we launched the app for monthly passes,” said Joshua Robin with the MBTA.
Officials with the T are still out there mingling with riders during rush hour to try to get them interested in the convenience of the new app. They’ve been walking around stations each night trying to spread the word, trying to get you to join. And it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.
As we recently reported, this is the first app of its kind in the country. All a rider has to do is download the app, available for both iPhones and Androids, and show their ticket (of flash pass) to the scanner. The app is also helping users to stay away from any kind of surcharges that come along with paper tickets.
If you wind up losing your phone, don’t worry! You are able to just transfer the tickets at any of the MBTA’s customer service locations.
Blackberry users will get their turn too, as it’s currently in developmental stages.
By the end of the 70s, the MBTA had become a lifeline for the city. It transported close to 500,000 passengers each day. Residents and visitors were looking for a quick and convenient way to get around the town and the MBTA had the answer.
Today, in terms of ridership, the MBTA continues to be the 5th largest mass transit system. It serves a population of close to 5,000,000 in close to 200 cities and towns. It covers close to 3,500 square miles, too. According to last look, the average weekday ridership for the entire system was close to 1.5 million passenger trips.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an MBTA accident, contact Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. Call 877-617-5333.
More Blog Entries:
New APP Speeding Up Ticket Purchases with MBTA, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, November 25, 2012
MBTA Safety Watch: Crack Down on Fare-Hoppers Continues, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, November 13, 2012