CapMetro App Reaches 1 Million Tickets Sold

CMTA app responsible for $7 million in ticket sales in just three yearsAUSTIN, Texas (April 10, 2017) — Capital Metro announced today that its mobile ticketing app has passed the 1 million-tickets-sold threshold. Launched in January 2014, the CapMetro App was among the nation’s first transit mobile ticketing apps to allow riders to purchase tickets and plan trips from their mobile devices.“The CapMetro App is a tremendous hit,” said Joe Iannello, vice president and chief information officer for Capital Metro. “We’re thrilled to pass this milestone and proud of our team that has spent so much of their time and talent making the app a valuable tool for our riders.”From the beginning, the CapMetro App has been a success with both customers and the industry. Less than six months after it was introduced, the Center for Digital Government recognized the app as the Best Mobile/Wireless Project in Texas. The same organization awarded Capital Metro with national recognition in October 2014. In the first year, riders purchased more than $960,000 in tickets via the app, and since then, annual sales have increased almost threefold.In 2016, Capital Metro sold about 23 percent of its passes through the mobile app, adding up to a total of $2.9 million. Only one transit agency in the country — the Chicago area's commuter rail provider, Metra — sells a higher percentage through mobile devices. As a comparison, Houston Metro’s mobile app accounts for just 1 percent of its total ticket sales.Crowds from the recent South By Southwest festival helped push the app's cumulative sales past the $7 million mark, and the app has been downloaded more than 300,000 times.In addition to the recognition garnered in its first year, the CapMetro App has received attention from national organizations several times since its launch. Ziptopia included the app in its list of “Genius Public Transportation Innovations for Happier Commutes.” And, in 2015, METRO magazine honored Capital Metro with an Innovative Solutions Award for including real-time information fleet-wide and having an open data portal that allows technology developers to access agency data.The CapMetro App is just one way that Capital Metro provides innovative service to its riders. "We're trying to making public transportation a seamless part of our customers' lives," said Dan Dawson, Capital Metro's vice president of marketing and communications. "And that means providing products and services in a manner similar to what they see from private businesses. Whether that's through mobile apps, on-demand services or partnerships with up-and-coming mobility and tech firms, Capital Metro is committed to making the customer experience better."The agency recently participated in a demonstration project of an autonomous shuttle that could eventually play a part in solving first-mile/last-mile connection issues for riders. Capital Metro will soon launch a pilot program that offers on-demand public transportation accessible by mobile devices. And, as part of the Connections 2025 Transit Plan, the agency will implement six Mobility Innovation Zones that will match service to populations residing in neighborhoods that currently have low levels of demand for transit services.For more information on the CapMetro App, visit capmetro.org/app. ABOUT CAPITAL METROCapital Metro connects people, jobs and communities by providing high-quality and sustainable transportation choices to Central Texans. Capital Metro provides enough rides each weekday onboard its buses, trains, paratransit and vanpool vehicles to fill Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and Disch-Falk Field combined. As the regional transportation leader, Capital Metro is driving progress and investing in the region’s mobility with high-capacity transit solutions like MetroRapid, which moves more people at less cost and with less impact to the environment. Capital Metro is a financially sound and fiscally responsible agency, winning the highest rating for financial transparency from the Texas Comptroller for the fifth straight year. Visit capmetro.org for more information.