Two New Ways to Pay for Transit in the Treasure Valley
Paying for transportation around Boise and the Treasure Valley is easier than ever before thanks to the City Go Wallet, which launched today from Valley Regional Transit (VRT) and Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS). Cubic’s cloud-based technology powers the City Go Wallet, which centralizes and streamlines transit passes and service payments through the Umo Mobility app and the City Go Smartcard.
Community members, commuters, and visitors who prefer to use their phones for transit can download the Umo Mobility app in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. In addition to making transit passes and fares easier to purchase, the app features an all-in-one service that includes trip planning, real-time bus route information, and rideshare options through Lyft and Uber. The app will also integrate additional transit passes and services throughout the upcoming year, such as vanpool, shuttle service, parking, bikeshare, and scooters.
Similarly, individuals who prefer to use a reloadable smartcard can purchase one at any of Valley Regional Transit’s Customer Service windows in Boise, Meridian, or Caldwell. Once purchased, individuals can manage their accounts through the City Go Wallet website. Here, they can purchase additional passes, load stored value, and set up automatic reload of a set monetary amount. Individuals can also register their cards, ensuring that stored value is protected and transferrable to another card if lost or stolen.
“We’re incredibly excited for this day. When we established City Go, we envisioned an integrated fare-payment system that would elevate transportation in Boise and beyond by making it easier for people to get to the places they want to go.”
The integrated fare payment system also introduces a new feature known as “fare capping.” When a person uses the app or smartcard, fare capping ensures that a person never pays more per day than the cost of all-day fare or more per month than a monthly pass.
Whether a person uses the app or smartcard when boarding a bus, the system keeps track of each person’s rides throughout the day and month. Daily fare capping is activated once a person completes two trips in a single day, allowing that person to take any additional trips that day at no cost. Similarly, monthly fare capping is activated once a person uses the equivalent of a 31-day pass over a calendar month. Each day a person uses their pass after that, there are no additional costs for trips for the rest of the calendar month.
“Through our combined efforts, we’ve delivered a platform that not only enhances transportation access but also improves equity through improved accessibility and features like fare-capping,” said Arturo Santamaria, Program Manager for Cubic Transportation System. “And with the Cubic’s dedicated support, Boise and the Treasure Valley have laid the foundation for a world-class transportation system for their customers.”