Mobile-based payments are starting to replace traditional public transport tickets

This was bound to happen: Urban transport systems worldwide rely on various ticketing strategies, from paper tickets with magnetic strips to RFID-embedded plastic cards. But just as almost everything else is becoming mobile app-based, city transport networks are heading in that direction as well. Austin, Texas is ahead of the trend, now allowing commuters to purchase and store transit passes for the CapMetro on their mobiles. To use a ticket, passengers scan an on-screen barcode upon boarding a bus or rail car. Travelers can also use the CapMetro app view transit schedules and route information, and to see if their buses and trains are on time. As cities look to the future and invest in transport infrastructure, it is likely that app-based payment systems will become part of commuters lives everywhere.