Duluth Transit Authority expands myDTA with account-based ticketing, contactless payments, and fare caps for bus passengers.
Duluth Transit Authority (DTA), which operates 16 bus routes across the Twin Ports region of Minnesota and Wisconsin in the US, has introduced account-based ticketing and open payments on its expanded myDTA fare system. The system runs on Masabi’s Justride platform. With account-based ticketing, riders using the myDTA app or the More smartcard no longer need to choose a ticket or pass in advance, as the system calculates and deducts the correct fare from the rider’s account at the point of boarding.
Fare capping and contactless payments
Fares are capped at USD 3 per day and USD 40 per month, with additional discounts for eligible riders, so that riders do not pay more than the capped amount. With open payments, riders can also tap any contactless Visa or Mastercard bank card, a prepaid card, or a mobile wallet directly on the validators on board the bus, with the same fare caps applied. This allows visitors and occasional riders to board using the cards or phones they already carry.
Riders who pay by contactless card or mobile wallet can also link their payment method to a myDTA account, giving them access to trip history, discounted fares, and concessions. As a result, riders receive the same benefits regardless of which payment method they use.
Building on a five-year partnership
David Clark, Director of Marketing at DTA, stated that making transit work for every rider in the Twin Ports is central to DTA’s work. According to Clark, the expanded myDTA system lets riders pay in whichever way suits them, whether through the app, the smartcard, or by tapping a bank card or phone, while receiving the same fares and benefits.
Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi, stated that account-based ticketing and open payments are most effective when they work together. According to Zanghi, the expanded system builds on five years of partnership between Masabi and DTA and ensures riders do not pay more than they should, whatever payment method they choose. By allowing contactless card payments to be linked to rider accounts, the system extends fare caps and concessions to riders who would otherwise pay as anonymous card users.
