Webcast Recording: StarMetro’s Pilot of a Mobile Fare Payment App

Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 12:00PM (ET)

StarMetro’s Pilot of a Mobile Fare Payment App

This webcast will feature Sara Hendricks and Sean Barbeau, University of South Florida (USF), Tampa; and Kelly Robertson, BowStern LLC. StarMetro, the public transit agency in Tallahassee, Florida, piloted the use of a mobile fare payment app with over 300 volunteer transit riders. The test featured the use of Token Transit, an application for iOS and Android smartphones, which was configured to allow transit riders to choose from the full suite of bus fares offered by StarMetro, and pay via their smartphones. The app also allows riders to purchase bus fares for other riders, store bus fares on their phones and activate their bus pass before they board a StarMetro bus. The bus pass is visually validated by the bus operator. The pilot sought to determine gains in customer satisfaction resulting from the use of mobile fare payment, as well as operational efficiencies from the perspective of the bus operators. This pilot was phase II of a larger study sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Phase I reviewed several existing mobile fare payment systems and developed a concept of operations for use by Florida transit agencies as guidance for making investments in mobile fare payment technologies. Download Report | Download Appendices | Download Handout

Presenters: Sean Barbeau, Ph.D. and Sara Hendricks, CUTR; and Kelly Robertson, BowStern

Sean J. Barbeau, Ph.D. is the Principal Mobile Software Architect for R&D at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. Dr. Barbeau has been working on intelligent, location-aware mobile apps for the past 10 years. He has over 40 peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations and 16 patented inventions in this area. Dr. Barbeau holds a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from USF as well as a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from USF.

Sara Hendricks is a Senior Research Associate at the USF Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) who works in the specialization of transportation demand management. She holds a Master’s degree in regional planning from UNC Chapel Hill. She recently completed a study for the FDOT Public Transit Office on the topic of pedestrian and bicycle access to public transit stops, as well as a study on evaluating public trail accessibility to transit.

Kelly Robertson, APR is founder and CEO of BowStern Marketing, an integrated firm leading the country in communication strategy and execution. She has extensive experience coordinating campaigns for clients spanning from transportation agencies to nationally recognized brands such as NASCAR and Gold’s Gym. Kelly specializes in helping teams look forward, over the horizon, to anticipate what is coming next. Once a plan is finalized, she oversees tactical implementation, ensuring that campaigns are on message and exceeding desired outcomes. She speaks nationally on best marketing practices, user experience, and trending topics impacting the industry. Above all, Kelly has a passion for pushing creative boundaries and helping clients and the team navigate the evolving world of communication, conversation and community. Kelly studied at Florida State University earning a degree in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations.