MBTA and Masabi to Launch First Smartphone Rail Ticketing System in the US
BOSTON, MA – 23rd April 2012 – Today, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)and Masabi US Ltd, the transit mobile ticketing pioneer, jointly announce that they will be bringing mobile ticketing to MBTA commuter rail riders this fall.
With applications for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, customers will be able to seamlessly purchase commuter rail tickets and passes. Once tickets are purchased, customers will be able to use and display directly via their phone screen.
“MassDOT and the MBTA are striving to bring our customers convenience without added costs. We are delivering just that with this project and this technology,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey.
“With this new and innovative approach, we are putting a ticket machine right in the palms of our customers’ hands,” said Acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis.
Less than half of MBTA’s 140 Commuter Rail stations have fare vending machines, forcing many customers to pay for tickets on board. But that will soon change as riders will be able to purchase tickets via credit or debit cards directly from their phones. Monthly pass holders will be able to seamlessly link a plastic CharlieCard to their pass allowing them “tap-in” instead of using magnetic tickets for the MBTA subway and bus systems.
The new solution will help the MBTA reduce costs by eliminating the need for additional vending machines and lowering cash handling costs. To help combat fare evasion, all mobile tickets will have barcodes allowing for validation. Throughout the pilot program, smart phone-equipped train conductors will be checking tickets to ensure their validity. Masabi will provide a comprehensive mTicketing solution including; consumer-facing applications, backend servers, payment integration and scanning/validation software for train conductors.
“By placing a personalized ticket machine in the pocket of commuters, they can now buy tickets wherever they are, faster than ever before,” said Giacomo Biggiero, Director of Masabi US Ltd. “MBTA will also see significant benefits in terms of reducing costly cash handling charges and the cost of additional ticket machines. We are delighted to be working with them to launch our first mTicketing system in the U.S.”
In the coming months, the MBTA will be inviting customers to participate in designing the new applications via focus groups and a small group pilot which will roll out in late summer. The full deployment to all MBTA customers is expected this fall.
All transactions are secured using the award-winning encryptME security system that has been validated to U.S. Government standards.
Source: masabi.com
955 Dreams, the next-generation mobile publishing company, closes $3.25M seed round
Mountain View, CA: January 26th, 2012
955 Dreams Inc., a next generation mobile publishing company announces the closing of a $3.25M seed round. Participating in this round are leading technology investors, including 500 Startups, m8 Capital, Kapor Capital, Felicis Ventures, and CrunchFund. This round is being led by 500 Startups and m8 Capital. 500 Startups is a Mountain View-based seed fund and startup accelerator program. m8 Capital is a London-based venture capital firm that invests in mobile technology.
Dave McClure of 500 Startups will join the company’s board. Dave has been an ardent supporter of 955 Dreams since its inception in 2010 and continues to provide guidance as the company and its products mature in the mobile ecosystem.
The company has launched three titles into the iTunes AppStore since 2010 using their proprietary publishing platform: The History of Jazz, On the Way to Woodstock and Band of the Day.
The company’s products have enjoyed tremendous success, with all 3 of its products having been picked by Apple as App of the Week. Two of these products are in the iPad and iPhone Hall of Fame and Band of the Day was selected as iPhone App of the Year Runner-Up for 2011. Band of the Day also made several year end top ten lists, including being selected by the New York Times as one of its Best Apps of 2011.
With this funding, the company will continue to expand its product range, expand onto other mobile OSs, and expand its global footprint.
“Our publishing platform has consistently produced high quality products that resonate with users all over the world, allowing us to achieve four App of the weeks in one year. There is an absolute and unrelenting focus on maintaining a high level of quality throughout the product and ensuring that the experience for the user is not compromised in any way” says Founder and CEO Kiran Bellubbi.
“We were relentless in our design iterations for this publishing platform. We refined every speck of the experience, the UI, the backend, and the overall look of this product. Just like the calendar that Band of the Day is built around, the way band photos reveal as you run your finger over the calendar…this is the result of a thousand tiny iterative decisions. We try very hard to take nothing for granted about the end experience. We strive to delight users!” Says Co-Founder and CDO T.J. Zark
“955 Dreams is already changing the face of mobile publishing. With its unwavering dedication to great design, the company is delivering immersive content to mobile devices in groundbreaking ways. And both consumers and critics have resoundingly approved. We are thrilled to be part of the 955 Dreams Team,” said Joseph Kim, m8 Capital’s General Partner.
With this announcement the company is also launching The Band of the Day iPad version into the App Store. BoD which is built on the 955 Publishing Engine comes with beautiful magazine like layouts, a unique navigation mechanism that allows users to flip through pages in the review and bios for bands that are featured daily within the app. Band Of The Day is a revolutionary new way to discover great music directly on your iPhone, iTouch and iPad. Built from the ground up for iOS Devices, it is an exciting and simple way to find great bands from all over the world. Discover, Listen and Share new music with the ones you love. BoD is available for free on the App Store. BoD has added over half a million unique users in under 4 months and continues to see tremendous growth in the iOS ecosystem. With the iPad launch the company hopes millions of new users will enjoy new music and discover great new artists daily on their iPads, iPhones and iTouch’s.
955 Dreams is a next-generation publishing company focused on bringing the best of modern mobile technology to the media industry. The company is creating a new breed of magazines that users can enjoy on their mobile devices and will partner with the best content providers to build the most engaging mobile products for consumers. Learn more about 955 Dreams and their publishing platform on www.955dreams.com
With this Series Seed round of funding, 955 Dreams will be inviting Dave McClure from 500 Startups to the Board of Directors. Dave has been an ardent supporter of 955 Dreams since its inception in 2010 and continues to provide guidance as the company and its products mature in the appStore. 500 Startups is a seed fund and startup accelerator program that focuses on helping startups succeed through Design, Data and Distribution.
Masabi Nets Awards Hat-Trick
Bumper month for accolades for transport mTicketing technology company
Masabi has followed a string of recent customer launches this month by landing three high-profile awards in the space of just a few weeks, following hot on the heels of services going live with thetrainline.com, Virgin Trains and Chiltern Railways.
The first award, won at the beginning of May, was AppCircus London’s bid to find the best mobile app that the UK has to offer. The prize was a nomination for the Mobile Premier Awards, to be held in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2012 featuring regional circus winners from around the world, all competing for the overall title of best app.
Then, at the start of June, Masabi was named as a Red Herring Top 100 Europe winner. Red Herring’s annual Top 100 Europe list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies across all industries: previous winners include Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, YouTube and eBay.
Finally, Masabi were crowned winners of the Business Leaders Network Money in Mobile Award, which took place this week on the 14th June. It proved to be a close-run competition, which saw 12 shortlisted companies from 48 entrants pitch their business case to a panel of prominent VCs and mobile industry experts.
Masabi CEO Ben Whitaker said, “We are delighted to have received these strong endorsements judged by the leading influencers of the mobile industry. This year has already seen us reach a number of exciting landmarks with the launch of services for thetrainline, Virgin Trains and Chiltern Railways and we are continuing to build on this momentum by launching with more operators later on this year.”
Intersting info… Thanks www.thenextweb.com for this awesome inforgraphic (based on the 2010 study provided by Bain & Company for the Forum d’Avignon, which can be downloaded here). Proves even further how much tablets are transforming the publishing industry and how important it is for publishers to invest in promotion/development of tablet ready content.
Source: http
