Transit benefits enrollment, minus the paperwork.

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Product updates

Last month, two blogs—Torched LA and Streets Blog CAL—independently published compelling posts about open-loop payment adoption by transit providers in California. I encourage you to read both because they tell a story of transit modernization that has taken place across the state over the last six years.

• An Update on Contactless Fare Payment across Agencies in California by Evan Tschuy
• Finally you can pay for Metro like you pay for a coffee by Alissa Walker

LA Metro's soft launch of open-loop payments in late May, just ahead of the World Cup, is the catalyst for both pieces. It's exciting news: Metro is one of the last major transit operators in California to offer this new way to pay. 

While we haven't yet achieved the Cal-ITP vision of traveling the length of the state on transit using only a debit or credit card, we're much closer.

Operators carrying the majority of statewide ridership now offer open-loop payments alongside legacy fare collection methods. But there is still work to do. Neither LA Metro nor Clipper in the Bay Area yet offers reduced fares for eligible riders using open-loop payments.

For transit providers to fully transition to open-loop payments and sunset legacy fare collection methods, such as proprietary agency cards and cash, they need a discount program that allows eligible riders to receive a reduced fare when utilizing open-loop payments. Cal-ITP Benefits solves this problem. Our product helps riders confirm their eligibility for a transit benefit and then facilitates registration of their debit or credit card so they automatically receive reduced fares when they tap to pay.

Cal-ITP Benefits is available today to any California transit operator, regardless of size. It's not only a highly-efficient and convenient way to provide transit benefits to eligible individuals, it also establishes a standard that ensures uniform benefit eligibility across California while relieving operators of the burden of establishing eligibility policies. If you're a transit provider offering open-loop payments, visit the Rider Benefits section of the California Mobility Marketplace to learn how your agency can support reduced fares as part of your tap-to-pay implementation.

Please share this story of transit modernization in California with your colleagues, friends, and family. It's happening!

Cheers!

Andy

Product Lead, Cal-ITP Benefits
andy@compiler.la

The numbers

1,016

Total rider enrollments

Total rider enrollments using the Cal-ITP Benefits app. We aim to surpass 1690 enrollments by the end of 2026. That's 1,000 by the end of the year.

13,546

Total reduced-fare, open-loop transactions

Total reduced-fare, open-loop transactions processed at California transit agencies that have adopted Cal-ITP Benefits. We aim to surpass 21,593 transactions in 2026. We'll need to surpass 10,000 transactions this year to meet this mark.

 +4%

Percentage change in reduced-fare transactions vs. previous month

Month over month change in reduced-fare, open loop transactions. This activity represents concrete usage of contactless payment by people who benefit from reduced fares.

Looking for content from a previous

monthly update?

See a full list of updates about Cal-ITP Benefits

in our newsletter archive. 

Cal-ITP Benefits addresses several of Cal-ITP's key goals to improve transit throughout California:

• Promote equitable access to transit
• Lower costs
• Increase Ridership
• Improve customer experience

The project also seeks to expand adoption of open-loop payments and supports efforts to provide accurate and complete information for planning trips on public transit in real-time. Learn more about Cal-ITP.

Transit providers! Visit the Mobility Marketplace for a catalog of code-compliant products and services offered by Cal-ITP to support your operations.