Masabi and Jorudan have launched mobile ticketing for Osaka Monorail, an elevated rail network that covers 18 stations in Japan's third-largest city.
Over the next three months, passengers can purchase Enjoy Holiday 1-Day Mobile Tickets and off-peak Mobile Tickets valid for use across the entire network using Jorudan’s Mobility as a Service (MaaS) apps Japan Transit Planner and Norikae Annai journey planning.
Jorudan has integrated Masabi's Justride mobile ticketing software development kit into its apps, meaning once operators sign up to the service, tickets can be made available to users.
Masabi says transport operators using the Justride shared platform no longer need to purchase their own bespoke ticketing systems, which do not update regularly with new features and functionality unless significant amounts of money are invested.
They can receive regular feature updates using a Fare Payments as a Service (FPaaS) instead, the company adds.
According to Masabi, a FPaaS systems delivery model enables 'tap and ride' fare payment innovations for passengers quickly and allows agencies to grow capabilities as they get released onto the platform, removing the complexity of running ticketing services.
Osaka Monorail staff will carry out ticket validation at stations using Masabi’s Handheld Inspect App.
Masabi CEO Brian Zanghi says: “This deployment with Osaka marks another landmark as we deploy network-wide with a major transport mode in one of the biggest cities in the country. With public transport at the heart of every city, it stands to reason that it should be as modern and efficient as possible.”
Jorudan CEO Toshikazu Sato says: “With this system we expect waiting times to be reduced, and the quality of service is improved. This will help trips on the Osaka Monorail to become safer and more agile.”
