SacRT has officially launched contactless payments! After months of behind-the-scenes work, the agency publicly announced the availability of contactless fare collection across their bus system at the beginning of the month.
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Product updates
SacRT has officially launched contactless payments! After months of behind-the-scenes work, the agency publicly announced the availability of contactless fare collection across their bus system at the beginning of the month. This marks a significant milestone in California's transition to open-loop payments. SacRT riders transitioning to the new system made March our largest month yet for benefit enrollments. Read the announcement.
Development is underway to integrate Enghouse as a new transit processor in the Benefits app. In the coming months, the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) will become the first transit provider to deploy contactless payments using this vendor. Their launch will pave the way for several other regional agencies planned for later this year, with Cal-ITP Benefits providing benefit enrollments for all.
We’ve expanded access to Cal-ITP Administrator to additional agencies to support in-person benefit enrollments. Last week Santa Barbara MTD successfully conducted their first in-person enrollments during a community event.
Nevada County Connects added Veterans as an eligible group for transit benefits—expanding beyond their existing pathways for older adults and Medicare cardholders. This addition is particularly noteworthy because the agency didn't previously offer reduced fares for Veterans. The ease of adding new discount groups through Cal-ITP Benefits made this expansion possible.
Our product roadmap continues to evolve.Check it out to see what's planned for 2025.
The numbers
279
Total rider enrollments
Total rider enrollments using the Cal-ITP Benefits app. We aim to surpass 425 enrollments by the end of 2025.
5975
Total reduced-fare, open-loop transactions
Total reduced-fare, open-loop transactions processed at California transit agencies that have adopted Cal-ITP Benefits. We aim to surpass 10,000 transactions in 2025.
↑ 23%
Percentage increase in reduced-fare transactions vs. previous month
Month over month change in reduced-fare, open loop transactions. This activity represents concrete usage of contactless payment by people who benefit from reduced fares.
Interested in Cal-ITP Benefits, but your agency doesn't accept open-loop payments? Contact us.
Cal-ITP Benefits addresses several of Cal-ITP's key goals to improve transit throughout California:
Promote equitable access to transit
Lower costs
Increase Ridership
Improve customer experience
The project also seeks to expand adoption of open-loop payments and supports efforts to provide accurate and complete information for planning trips on public transit in real-time. Learn more about Cal-ITP.
Transit providers! Visit the Mobility Marketplace for a catalog of code-compliant products and services offered by Cal-ITP to support your operations.
