Public transportation riders in Juneau will soon be able to pay their fares using a new mobile app.
Next month Capital Transit is set to launch a new app through Token Transit. It allows riders to buy their tickets online using their smartphones.
Denise Koch, the city’s director of Engineering and Public Works, said at a city meeting earlier this week that the goal is to make riding public transportation in town more convenient and accessible.
“I know, even for myself, sometimes I think, ‘Oh, I never have like $1 or $2 on me,’ this is just another option to pay,” she said. “I think it’s going to be one that’s very exciting.”
Koch said riders can use the app to purchase single rides, youth rides or monthly passes. Paying in cash or using physical passes will still be options, but the city is getting rid of ride tokens.
General fare tickets cost $2 for a one-way ride or $1 for youth riders. Children under 5 and seniors with sales tax exemption cards will continue to ride for free.
Koch said the city will also adopt fare capping on the app, meaning once a rider spends the same amount of money as what it would cost to purchase a monthly pass, they won’t be charged more than that.
“Right now, we have some of our most economically vulnerable people who can’t front the money initially to buy a monthly pass, and this would be really great for them,” she said.
The Assembly is considering offering rides purchased on the app for 50% during the first week of its launch in April. Koch said the city will announce the date the app goes live in the coming weeks.
