DART, The T, DCTA collaborate on new mobile ticket app

North Texas transit riders can use their smartphones to buy, store and activate passes for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) and Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) services starting on Sept. 16.

The GoPass mobile ticketing application will serve as the new technology for the area's three transit agencies. The app is free on Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store, DART officials said in a press release.

Danish firm Unwire obtained the contract to provide the GoPass app based on its experience with mobile ticketing systems in large urban markets overseas, they said. North Texas agencies are among the first in the United States to offer mobile ticketing and are Unwire's first U.S. client, DART officials said.

DART, The T and DCTA estimate that half of their riders carry smartphones. After evaluating numerous payment systems, the agencies' staff determined a mobile solution was the most versatile for purchasing transit passes.

"Customers buy passes on their terms, not ours," said DART Chief Marketing Officer Nevin Grinnell.