The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that MTA eTix, the ticketing app that allows Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road customers to buy train tickets anytime, anywhere on their smartphone, will be available for travel on Metro-North’s Harlem Line starting at 4:26 a.m. this Monday, July 25, when the Harlem Line’s first train of the week departs from its first station.
The app continues to be available on Metro-North’s Hudson Line and the LIRR’s Port Washington Branch. The app is scheduled to become available for Metro-North’s New Haven Line, the New Haven Line’s three branches, and the rest of the LIRR, during the week of August 22.
“We are rolling out this customer convenience across both railroads in an expedited manner,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “This app will help save railroad customers time by making it easier to purchase a train ticket. Anyone who wants to see the future of train ticketing should download this app to experience how easy and convenient it makes the transactions.”
Metro-North’s Harlem Line customers will now also be able to check schedules and see train service status using the app, which interconnects with the popular TrainTime apps for Metro-North and the LIRR. The app also offers account management tools, giving railroad customers the ability to secure refunds for unused mobile tickets, request duplicate receipts, and manage profile info such as password and linked credit card numbers.
More information about the app can be found at this web link: http://www.mta.info/mta-eTix-promo
Individuals interested in downloading MTA eTix can do so at the links below:
With MTA eTix, customers who download the app will sign up for an account, select the ticket they wish to buy, and enter credit or debit card information. They will then be able to ride the train in three simple steps:
1. Buy a ticket by entering information about origin and destination, and selecting the type of ticket (one-way, 10-trip, weekly or monthly). The ticket is then saved in an electronic “ticket wallet” feature in the app.
2. Prior to boarding the train, pull up the ticket from the ticket wallet and activate the ticket by tapping on the “activate ticket” button.
3. When a conductor comes through the train to ask for tickets, have the activated ticket displayed, and simply show the smartphone screen to the conductor. Conductors will visually validate the mobile ticket by looking at the screen. As the rollout proceeds, conductors will use a handheld device to scan mobile tickets.
The MTA eTix app was developed by Masabi, Ltd., which has also created electronic mobile ticketing programs for MBTA Commuter Rail in Boston, NICE Bus on Long Island, and Metrolink in Los Angeles. Masabi was selected in April 2014 following a competitive request for proposals issued in March 2013.
Next year, the MTA expects to make the MTA eTix app even more user-friendly by allowing LIRR and Metro-North customers who transfer to or from the New York City Subway or New York City Buses to pay their fares using a single app and a single transit account.
