SacRT phasing out ZipPass as new app, Transit Connect, expands. What to know
Sacramento transit riders still using the ZipPass app should use their pre-paid rides before the app expires this summer, according to Sacramento Regional Transit officials
ZipPass, an app that enables riders to purchase and access bus and train tickets electronically, is being phased out due to a new app, Transit Connect, launched in September. While both are fare payment apps, Transit Connect is the newer, more user-friendly version that RT hopes to eventually convert into a one-stop-shop for tracking trains and buses and accessing tickets for not just RT but other capital region transit providers.
Most transit riders have already begun using Transit Connect, which is run by mobile ticketing company Masabi, RT spokesperson Jessica Gonzalez said. However, there are some stragglers with some leftover ZipPass tickets, which will not directly transfer to the Transit Connect app.
RT initially gave riders a deadline of April 30 to switch to Transit Connect, but that has been extended to June 15. The final day RT itself is able to access the ZipPass app, which is run by the Siemens subsidary Bytemark, is June 30, Gonzalez said.
“It’s not possible to transfer them, but whether we give them passes is still up for question. We are not looking to do that,” Gonzalez said. “It would be a challenge for us to do that.”
Since Transit Connect launched, additional features were added, including the ability to purchase discounted fares and passes for Yolobus, the Yolo County Transportation District bus line. Through the fall, RT plans to expand access to other transit providers, including El Dorado Transit, Placer County Transit, Roseville Transit, South County Transit, Yuba-Sutter Transit and Unitrans, which operates in Davis.
This part of the Transit Connect app will function similarly to the Connect Card, Gonzalez said, though the hope is to move more riders to the app.
Other planned enhancements to the Transit Connect app include fare caps to prevent overpaying, the ability to load cash at RT fare vending machines and Tap2Ride for light rail, which is going to require new technology at train stations. Contactless payment is currently available at light rail fare vending machines but the fare transfer benefits between bus and light rail, including free 90-minute transfer, are not valid when using this method, according to RT’s website.
Gonzalez said RT hopes to add bus tracking, which is available in the SacRT Bus Tracker app, and add train tracking into the Transit Connect app. RT does not currently offer a train tracking feature, though the transit provider is scheduled to meet with a vendor in May to discuss a timeline for crafting such a feature.
