GRANITE CITY - Riding Madison County Transit (MCT) is about to get easier. Beginning Mon., February 25, MCT passengers will have the ability to purchase bus passes on their smartphones and ride MCT with just a few screen taps – eliminating the hassles of purchasing and carrying a physical pass. With the upcoming launch, MCT will be the first public transportation agency in the region to introduce this new mobile ticketing technology.
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Similar to electronic boarding passes used by airlines, when a pass is purchased, a QR code is generated on the passenger’s smartphone, which can be scanned by MCT’s on-board readers – reducing boarding times and creating a more seamless riding experience.
MCT has four pass options available on the mobile app: In addition to the popular 2-Hour Regional Pass (just $3.00), MCT is introducing a new 7-Day Pass ($20.00) and launching 30-day versions of the MCT Local Pass ($50.00) and MCT System Pass ($70.00). Previously MCT’s monthly passes were limited to a calendar month. The details of the new program can be found on a new wesbite,www.MCTonYourPhone.org . To begin using the mobile passes, passengers should do the following....
1). Download the App: Passengers first download the “Token Transit” app - for free - through their Google Play or iPhone App Store, or at: https://tokentransit.com/ app
2). Select MCT and Purchase Pass: Next, passengers select “Madison County Transit” from the list of transit agencies and purchase the pass or passes of their choice. (Yes, they can purchase more than one pass at a time.)
3). Activate the Pass: Although the pass has been purchased, it’s not “active” because as soon as it is activated, the clock starts ticking. When passengers are ready to ride, they simply tap the pass on their screen, and it becomes activated.
4). Ride: When passengers board the bus, they hold their phone, (with active pass on screen), under the scanner until the confirmation beep and the green light displays.
“The process is really simple,” said MCT Director of Marketing & Planning SJ Morrison. “People have become so accustomed to buying items on their phone. Why not bus passes too?”
MCT will continue to sell traditional monthly bus passes at 21 retail sites in Madison County, including Schnucks and Walgreens locations, the Wood River Library, and the SIUE Information Center, as well as the MCT Base of Operations and online at: www.mct.org/store. MCT will also continue to offer on-board passes, such as the 2-Hour Zone Pass, 2-Hour Regional Pass, and Express Round Trip Pass, which can be purchased with cash upon boarding.
According to Morrison, when the system goes live on February 25, individuals, employers, and agencies will also have the ability to purchase MCT passes on the Token Transit App and “gift” them to a friend, employee, family member or client.
For details about purchasing MCT passes on a smartphone, visit www.MCTonYourPhone.org, e-mailinfo@mct.org or call 618-797-4636. For more information about MCT’s fixed-route buses, visitwww.mct.org, or find Madison County Transit on Facebook.
Madison County Transit (MCT) provides multi-modal transportation services for Madison County, Illinois. MCT operates a fixed-route bus service, connecting to MetroLink; express weekday commuter service directly to and from downtown St. Louis; and seasonal express service to the Muny. For elderly and disabled residents who are unable to use the fixed-route buses, MCT provides complementary door to door service. MCT is also responsible for the construction and maintenance of more than 130 miles of bikeways that comprise the MCT Trails system, as well as overseeing RideFinders, the St. Louis region’s FREE carpooling and vanpooling program.
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