TriMet to test mobile ticketing application

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) will launch this week a beta test of a mobile ticketing application powered by GlobeSherpa.

TriMet chose 150 riders from among 1,500 applicants to test the mobile app, which was designed to allow passengers to use their smartphones to buy tickets for MAX, WES, Portland Streetcar and bus services, TriMet officials said in a press release.

The testers will become the first riders of a U.S. multi-modal transit system to use a mobile ticketing app, they said.

The beta testers represent a cross section of riders based on demographics, type of mobile device and operating system, trip purpose, fare type, frequency of transit use, and use of buses or trains or both. They will test the app for a month, then provide feedback through surveys and/or focus groups.

After the beta test is completed, TriMet officials expect to launch the app for all riders later this summer.