Calgary Transit’s technology coordinator Akmal Rafiq has told CBC News that an updated MyFare app will be rolled out in 2020 that will allow users to buy and validate adult and youth monthly passes or single-ride tickets on their phones.
MyFare app, which was beta tested for about four months earlier this year, will also be PCI compliant meaning it will fully meet the industry security standard for major credit cards, explained Rafiq while pointing out how mobile ticketing will be both more efficient and convenient.
“It will be easy to use, easy to keep and carry rather than having a bus pass for example … because sometimes people forget,” he said. “Normally people don’t forget their phones.”
Meanwhile, Chris Jordan, manager of service design for Calgary Transit, noted that cash and paper ticket options will still be available:
“We think the convenience of the system will lead to many more users over time migrating to use of the app, however our short-term goal in the next couple of years is just to see 10 to 25 percent of users taking advantage,” said Jordan.
Ticket vending machines were first installed at LRT stations in 1989 and have since been upgraded to accept credit and debit cards, as well as change. Taking the bus itself requires prepaid monthly passes or paper tickets, or exact change.
Calgary Transit has been experimenting with electronic fare payment for nearly a decade.
