Turns out the MBTA made a shrewd decision when it passed on buying $70 million worth of Charlie Card equipment for the commuter rail system. The cards were cutting edge 10 years ago, but they’re already on their way to becoming obsolete. Starting last week, commuter rail-riders are getting essentially the same service all those expensive vending machines and scanners would have provided — at no cost to the T.
The agency’s new smartphone ticketing system, developed by the British firm Masabi, allows riders to buy tickets on their phone and show them to the conductor aboard the train, bypassing paper tickets completely. The costs of developing the app were covered by Masabi, which will collect the same 2.8 percent commission that shops that sell paper T passes now receive. Smartphone ticketing debuted on the North Station routes on Monday, and will be available on South Station trains after Thanksgiving.
Comments
Ummmm . . . . . But what WILL happen for those who do not have smartphones? I guess we'll be the ones you see outside the traing window, running alongside, frantically waving our arms to get the train to stop and let us on board.