South Central Transit Authority was founded to serve public transit in Lancaster County and Berks County. It comprises Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) and Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA).
As the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it became obvious that a contactless ticketing system is not only a step towards improving the customer experience but also a necessity to provide safety to both riders and agency personnel. The agency got in contact with Modeshift and Modeshift immediately put on the table its 360-degree mobility platform specifically designed to tackle the problems of small and mid-sized cities. It offered a full stack of tools that could help SCTA implement account-based fare collection and contactless ticketing.
A smart transit implementation in the time of COVID-19
The implementation took place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and Modeshift worked remotely with SCTA to deploy the equipment and the software. We used the help of a local consultant who supervised and assisted with the installation and testing of more than 200 validators in under a month, while our IT team worked round the clock to provide a seamless transition to account-based ticketing.
In under six months, the Modeshift team implemented and tested the account-based solution in its entirety: mobile ticketing via a branded mobile app, CAD and AVL systems, a reporting system, hardware integrations and smart cards.
Results that surpassed expectations
The platform helped the SCTA team manage their day-to-day operations – from rider accounts and customer groups to scheduling. What’s more, it provided SCTA with a real-time reporting tool to track vital metrics to improve performance.
As a result of the implementation, both BARTA and RRTA were able to offer their riders a fully functioning account-based fare collection platform in less than six months. Riders can reload their accounts via the dedicated portal for each agency, by visiting a service window or via the dedicated mobile apps. The paper ticket option ensured no rider was left behind.
Modeshift provided two mobile applications branded to represent BARTA and RRTA respectively.
During this time of caution because of the virus, Modeshift provided us with a modern, efficient, touchless fare payment option for customers. Combining the product with the customer service and step by step implementation they helped make the integration of the system for customers and RRTA a win – win for all parties. Thanks Modeshift!
Greg Downing
Executive Director, SCTA
