Foreseeing the Future of Transit

By Nick Ihm, Chief Strategy Officer, Co-Founder

Eight years ago this Thursday, Hurricane Sandy barreled through the New York City area. Damage was significant, many residents lost power, subway tunnels and streets were flooded, and bridges were closed due to debris. The only way on and off Manhattan island was by ferry, but the ticket vending machines were down. Our mobile app was an easy way — in fact, the only way — to pay the fare to get in and out of Manhattan.

Now, we are in a similar situation, where technology has once again become a lifeline for transportation. The pandemic has changed how people feel about and use public transit. As human contact has become a threat to spread the virus, contactless payments have increased in popularity. Before, vehicle occupancy was an issue only in terms of getting onto the bus or subway or getting a seat: now, it’s a health matter. As the world continues to change, we keep hearing terms such as “the new normal.” In reality, constant innovation is now “the new normal.”

These challenging times drive the need for more innovation and change. We cannot wait for another natural disaster or pandemic to dictate the direction of our strategies — we need to plan for them. Companies (ours included) must reassess our goals and accelerate roadmaps, turning future plans into immediate strategic priorities.

We started Bytemark because we wanted to bring digital ticketing, payments, and smartphone-based experiences to an industry still dealing with a lot of cash and paper. Today, the stakes are higher. While we still continue to create seamless and frictionless transit options, we embrace a renewed focus on resilience in a changing world and technological landscape.

The Future is On-Demand

There has been a focus shift toward transit agency-operated Mobility as a Service (MaaS) due to decreased demand for private mobility services, such as scooter and ride shares, as well as a significant drop in ridership across mass transit. The industry now expects transit agencies to offer more efficient and flexible services.

The drop in ridership may be short-lived as transit agencies begin to operate their own ride-share, ride-hail, and ride-pooling services. In fact, agencies have long operated these services in the form of paratransit but are now opening them up to the general ridership. Uber’s acquisition of Routematch, for example, has validated this trend toward solutions that can enable agency-operated demand responsive transport.

Bytemark is committed to enabling agencies to customize and operate their own on-demand services. Bytemark Envoy is the demand-responsive transport (DRT) suite offered through Padam Mobility, a Bytemark partner. It provides a turnkey solution for operating on-demand services. With a focus on seamless rider experience, our on-demand platform and integrated payment encourages a versatile experience, where the future is not only on demand but also customized to riders’ needs.

The Future is Contactless

With a global pandemic upon us, there has been a rapid adoption of contactless ticketing and payment technologies. Contactless EMV transactions rose 40% in the first quarter around the globe. According to a recent Mastercard poll, 79% of consumers worldwide are using some form of contactless payment in light of the pandemic.

As such, demand for app-based fare payments has skyrocketed. Transit agencies have sought quick-turnaround deployments of contactless ticketing to get away from cash as quickly as possible. This response to a health crisis will be a catalyst in creating familiarity with cashless payments and contactless transactions. Contactless payments are no longer technology enhancements but now part of “the new normal.”

We believe we can take contactless even further with a true hands-free experience. Bytemark AirGate™ intelligently detects passengers at a distance. It can authenticate a passenger over a wider area and a longer period of time compared to near-field communication. A traveler does not have to break stride as they walk through ticket validation zones. No swipe or scan of fare media is required. Our solution delivers a safe and hygienic, hassle-free travel experience to riders, all while increasing passenger throughput.

The Future is Universal

A universal future must be equitable and accessible. These emerging technologies must not be restricted to only those with the means and capital. Options must be available for everyone.

To support cash-preferred riders, our solution allows riders to buy tickets and top-up with cash at retail stores and ticket vending machines. This solution capitalizes off existing infrastructure such as the retail distribution network, allowing it to be rolled out quickly with little implementation effort. And by offering smart cards and paper-based RFID fare media, we can provide digital contactless experiences to those who choose not to use smartphones.

We maintain a strict adherence to supporting accessibility features and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We have worked with community advocates to ensure our solutions are usable by the visually, hearing-, and motor-impaired.  

Our product-based fare-capping program ensures riders who choose not to purchase unlimited, time-based passes upfront can still benefit from the discounted prices usually associated with those passes. The concept is simple: The system maintains a count as riders purchase and use single-ride tickets. If a rider purchases and uses a certain number of single-ride tickets within a set time frame, the system automatically grants an unlimited pass that is good for the remainder of that time period.

Finally, with support for multiple languages, our system is easy for everyone, not just native English speakers, to understand.

By focusing on a future for everyone, inclusive implementation is important to our strategic framework.

Our Mission

Addressing these trends is engrained in Bytemark’s core mission. We enable transit agencies to be contactless. We enable transit agencies to operate their own Mobility as a Service solutions and Demand Responsive Transport services. And we ensure that these solutions work for everyone. Our platform, Bytemark Bridge, offers a full range of Plan, Book & Pay™ solutions that address these critical and emerging needs. We are excited that our platform positions transit agencies for the future and connects them to their riders.

Bytemark is your partner in innovation. Let’s innovate together.