INIT’s Smart Ticketing Technology empowers innovative fare collection approach

Passenger terminals support Fare-Free Project in Rhode Island, US

Passengers boarding buses in Central Falls / US can travel for free in the city using RIPTA’s smart card and INIT’s smart ticketing technology. (© RIPTA)

Karlsruhe, Chesapeake, VA / Providence, RI, 01 June 2022

INIT and its smart ticketing technology supports the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) in a fare-free campaign in the City of Central Falls, RI. Passengers boarding a bus in the boundaries of Central Falls can now take journeys with fully discounted fares within a pilot project. This one-year project is meant to promote RIPTA’s Wave smart fare collection system as well as give the organization insightful information on ridership trends.

Passenger terminals detect passengers who board buses in Central Falls

Utilizing the INIT back-office fare management and clearing system MOBILEvario RIPTA set up a zone-based fare structure by drawing a digital geographic boundary or "geofence" around the City of Central Falls. The city was chosen because of its small geographic area but high population density. The geofence identifies all stops within the boundary as eligible for fully discounted fares. Installed onboard RIPTA buses, INIT’s PROXmobile3 passenger terminals detect each bus's orientation along the route, so that when the bus stops within the geofence and a boarding passenger scans their Wave smart card or smartphone app barcode, the ticketing system applies the full-fare discount.

Ticketing management system in use on all RIPTA fixed-route and Flex vehicles

The Wave fare system, born from a partnership between RIPTA and INIT, is installed on board all RIPTA fixed-route and Flex (reservation-based service) vehicles. INIT’s back-office ticketing management system allows RIPTA to set up various fare types to accommodate specific types of passengers. In addition, it delivers benefits like fare capping which allow passengers to pay for a day or monthly pass as they go.

Publicly funded showcase for state-of-the-art ticketing technology

Funded by the US Federal Transit Administration (FTA, an agency within the US Department of Transportation) “Accelerating Innovative Mobility” (AIM) initiative, RIPTA intends to demonstrate how the use of state-of-the-art technologies like Wave can enhance public transport services and increase ridership. Other goals of the public transport company are to promote car-free travel that connects with a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) structure linking alternate modes like biking or reservation-based transport services.

Pilot project results will help RIPTA in the future

RIPTA’s service to the City of Central Falls will help the public transport company better understand ridership trends, which informs service planning decisions for future partnerships, and improvements to service. For Scott Avedisian, RIPTA CEO, launching the pilot project is a major step for Rhode Island public transportation: “We are excited to offer free fares with Wave in Central Falls as part of this pilot. This program will demonstrate technology from INIT and will allow us to collect the statistical information we need to help us make informed decisions about future innovative services that are beneficial to our passengers.”

Andrea Mohr-Braun

Head of Department Corporate Marketing
INIT worldwide
Phone: +49 721 6100 113
Fax: +49 721 6100 399

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