New York commuters are switching to mobile ticketing in their droves, according to new figures from the state’s transport agency.
The MTA eTix app, which allows Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) passengers to pay for travel and search timetables and information, was used in the purchase of 9.6% of monthly pass sales in November, compared to 2.9% when the platform was launched in August. Out of the 205,159 MTA monthly passes, 19,678 were purchased using the eTix app in November – up from 5,401 eTix of the 186,972 total passes purchased in August.
Since the app launched system-wide three months ago, more than 280,000 new MTA eTix accounts have been created by Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road customers and cumulative sales through the app have surpassed $47m (£37.5m/€44.5m).
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “To remain competitive in the 21st century economy, we are reimagining and rebuilding our public transit system to improve the overall experience of travellers across New York.
“With the launch of the free MTA eTix app, we have transformed the ticket machine into a user-friendly mobile app, making it easier than ever before for LIRR and Metro-North riders to purchase tickets and travel around the region. This early momentum makes clear that MTA riders are excited to use technology to improve their commute and we look forward to the continued success of the eTix app.”
In early October, Cuomo announced the addition of Apple Pay and Masterpass digital wallet technologies to MTA eTix, providing thousands of eTix customers more payment options to choose from.
The LIRR averages 151,632 weekday customers and Metro-North averages 137,755 weekday customers, making MTA’s average weekday ridership approximately 289,387.
“The rapid growth of MTA eTix among monthly and weekly ticket holders suggests extremely strong support for the new app among our core riders,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman and chief executive Thomas Prendergast. “We look forward to finding ways to get the word out about this convenient, easy to use app to even more of our customers, and further build usage.”
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