LADOT Launches Mobile App
Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a new app Tuesday, which allows riders of the DASH to purchase their tickets using their smartphones instead of searching for exact change for a bus fare.
The app, called LA Mobile, was released today by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, making it the only transit authority in California to have a system-wide mobile ticketing service. The interactive app sends a ticket to the user's phone with key information that allows drivers to check the ticket's validity.
GlobalSherpa, the company that developed the app, has also created a very similar app for TriMet and Portland Streetcar, two public transportation outlets in Portland, OR. Julie Gustafson, the Community Relations Manager for Portland Streetcar, said that the app has helped users of all ages move past the technology gap thanks to the simplicity of its interface.
Currently the app only serves the DASH, but GlobeSherpa has plans to expand to other bus lines and forms of public transportation in Los Angeles based on the app's success in the coming months. The company has already expanded to Phoenix, and is currently in the process of creating similar systems for San Francisco and Chicago.
After the unveiling of LA Mobile, Garcetti invited the attendees of the event to take a trip to local Los Angeles hot spot The Pie Hole using the DASH to show how easy it actually is to buy tickets with the app.
The free app is currently available for download on the Google Play Store and the App Store.
