Houston: More than 1,400 additional fare boxes and ticket vending machines

One of the largest public transport companies in the US expands ticketing system

One of the largest public transport companies in the US – METRO Houston – continues to rely on the technology of INIT for the modernisation of its fare management system. After INIT was commissioned in 2021 to implement an innovative ID-based ticketing solution for the thriving region in the heart of Texas, the system is now to be greatly expanded with the addition of fare boxes and ticket vending machines.

The base contract included the delivery and installation of approximately 1,700 validators for fixed route buses and on-demand vehicles as well as 200 validators on platforms. The optional extension that was now exercised increases the scope of supply by around 1,300 fare boxes in the vehicles and 160 ticket vending machines on the platforms.

Central intelligence of the account-based system is INIT’s back-office system MOBILEvario. It offers comprehensive functionalities for fare management and revenue sharing as well as best-price fares for passengers. The open architecture with defined application programming interfaces (APIs) creates the necessary flexibility to integrate third-party systems and various identification media very easily and enables system extensions to meet future requirements.

Fare capping for passengers in Houston

Of particular importance for METRO Houston is the possibility of configuring different fares for the different passenger groups in the back-office system.

With MOBILEvario, METRO can manage all transfer rules, best price calculation, revenue distribution, and billing. In addition, the transport company benefits from increased flexibility and interoperability, which enables customers to make fast and easy payments.

The new account-based system offers passengers better service and greater user-friendliness. Via a greatly expanded and reliable network of points of sale, passengers can top up their accounts with cash, credit or bank cards or use METRO’s own web portal or smartphone for this purpose.

The ID-based ticketing system offers passengers better service and greater ease of use.
(c) INIT

The new fare management system supports METRO Houston in achieving its goals: increasing punctuality through shorter boarding times, more convenient payment options for passengers and the secure operation of a scalable ticketing system for the future.

Dr. Jürgen Greschner

INIT CSO

Eight major ticketing projects in the US

METRO serves the Houston metropolitan area and the greater Harris County area in Texas with bus, tram, and paratransit lines. With more than 100 million passengers per year, METRO Houston is one of the largest mass transit service providers in the USA. Houston/Harris County is the fourth largest and one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.
 

The order from METRO Houston is already the eighth major order for regional fare management systems that INIT has won in the US in recent years. INIT ticketing solutions are already in successful use on a large scale in Tampa and St Petersburg (Florida), Grand Rapids (Michigan), Honolulu (Hawaii), Portland (Oregon), Providence (Rhode Island), Sound Transit Region (Seattle and surrounding cities in Washington), San Diego (California) and Spokane (Washington).

Contact

Matthias Tanne

Head of Department Sales and Marketing

INIT GmbH

Germany
 

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This article was published in our customer magazine INITiative, issue 1/2023. If you want to receive the magazine regularly per e-mail, we kindly ask you to subscribe.

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