moovel Partners with Google, TriMet, and INIT to Create the First Virtual Transit Fare Card Within Android Pay Globally

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- moovel North America, the leading provider of public transit mobile ticketing and fare validation solutions, today announced its mobile application contribution to the Hop Fastpasstm virtual transit card for Android smartphones. The first of its kind in the country, the updated Hop app provides mobile integration with the TriMet Hop Fastpass' dynamic account management and contactless payment capabilities for transit riders in the Portland-Vancouver region. Starting over the next few weeks, select TriMet riders in the Portland-Vancouver region will be able to use the Hop Fastpass virtual card on their Android devices, with a full rollout planned for early 2018.

With the Hop Fastpass app, riders can manage their virtual or physical Hop Fastpass cards from their mobile device to pay for trips on TriMet and C-TRAN buses, Portland Streetcar, MAX Light Rail, WES Commuter Rail and C-TRAN Vine. With Near Field Communication (NFC) embedded on fare validators, riders can now tap and ride using the virtual Hop Card stored securely in their Android mobile app.

In addition to supporting advanced mobile payments in coordination with partner INIT, the Hop Fastpass mobile application features powerful digital account management including display of daily and monthly fare capping status and stored value balance, auto-load management, and loss prevention features. After Beta testing is complete, the Hop Fastpass mobile app will be available through the Google Play store. Users will be able to purchase virtual Hop cards through Android Pay, ensuring convenience and the same available benefits and savings achieved through the physical Hop card.

"TriMet is delighted to continue its long time relationship with moovel as our mobile technology provider of choice. Over the years, our collaborations have improved the rider experience significantly. Since we first partnered in 2013, we have sold $55 million in transit fare via the moovel powered TriMet Tickets app. Even more, the app has been downloaded 670,000 times," said Tim McHugh, Chief Information Officer at TriMet.

"moovel's smart mobile technology now extends to the Hop Fastpass, where riders now have every option available to them to pay for transit fare from their smartphone. We're excited to continue our relationship with moovel and look to build on the great success we have already achieved together," said Chris Tucker, Director of Revenue and Operations at TriMet.

"moovel N.A. is delighted to have extended the power of the Hop Fastpass system with a mobile application that powerfully integrates with its virtual transit card for Android smartphones," said Nat Parker, CEO of moovel North America. "TriMet is the world leader in evolving fare systems alongside rider preferences and technology innovation. We are proud to be partnered with TriMet to continue its legacy of excellence."

TriMet and moovel N.A. are long time public-private transit innovation partners. In 2012, moovel built the TriMet Tickets app, which won an AdWheel award in 2014 from the American Public Transit Association. TriMet's Hop Fastpass was created in partnership by Google, INIT and moovel N.A.

About moovel N.A.
moovel N.A. LLC, a part of moovel Group GmbH, enables seamless multimodal experiences and connected transit commerce through mobile applications. moovel is the leading North American provider of mobile ticketing applications that allow riders to book and pay for public transit tickets via their smartphone. Led by CEO Nat Parker, moovel is headquartered in Portland, OR. For more information, please visit www.moovel-transit.com/en.

moovel Group GmbH, was founded by Daimler AG, the maker of Mercedes-Benz, with the global mission to find solutions for the disconnected and ever-changing state of urban transportation and to discover how new technologies will affect the way we'll move tomorrow. Being a part of Daimler Financial Services AG, moovel Group GmbH is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and led by Global CEO Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten. For more information, please visit www.moovel-group.com.

About TriMet
TriMet provides bus, light rail and commuter rail transit services in the Portland, Oregon metro area. We connect people with their community, while easing traffic congestion and reducing air pollution ? making the Portland area a better place to live.

About Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar operates three lines around 16-miles of track in Portland's Central City. It has been in operation for 16 years and has serviced over 54 million riders since its inception.

About C-TRAN
C-TRAN operates regular route bus services within Clark County. C-TRAN also provides express commuter services between Clark County, WA and various points in Portland, OR, including downtown and other locations.

About INIT
INIT's (Innovations in Transportation, Inc.) back-end processing software, MOBILEvario, serves as the core intelligence for Hop's account-based payment fare system. It manages and processes the multi-agency fare structures in real-time, recognizes and processes revenue sharing, as well as manages accounts and automates reconciliations.

As a worldwide leading supplier of integrated ITS and ticketing systems, INIT has been assisting transport companies in making public transport more attractive, faster and more efficient for more than 30 years.

Contact:
Laura Modjeski, moovel North America
[email protected] 
971-506-9001

SOURCE moovel North America