Bus operator hits 132 million mobile journeys milestone

National Express West Midlands has announced that over 132 million bus trips have been made with mobile tickets (mTickets) using Masabi 's Justride platform.

The bus company has also worked with Masabi and INIT to introduce the UK 's largest on-bus QR code scanning system to read and validate mTickets.

The new technology provides a quicker, safer and simpler way to travel around the region by speeding up bus boarding times and reducing wait times by providing an efficient contactless experience.

It is now live across National Express West Midlands ' fleet of 1,600 buses throughout Birmingham and the Black Country, Solihull and Coventry with 21 million scans having taken place since it was rolled out towards the end of 2022.

Daljit Kalirai, sales and partnerships director at National Express West Midlands, said: “Around 25 per cent of our customer journeys are made using mTickets and we've seen over 21 million scans using the new QR code scanning system.

“It couldn 't be easier - customers simply activate their mTicket in our app, get onboard and scan the QR code using our onboard card reader.

“We 're committed to making bus travel affordable for all, which is why we recently extended our £2 adult single ticket offer until the end of June. Our day saver also still costs £4 - the same as it did in 2014 - regardless of how many buses our customers catch.

Customers can purchase and store mTickets in seconds within the National Express West Midlands mTicket app with its handy wallet feature. Most ticket types are available including singles, day savers, group tickets, and one and four week tickets.

Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi, said: “The success of this initiative with National Express West Midlands is the result of the close partnership we have developed over recent years, helping to roll-out upgrades and improvements that continue to make everyday life easier for bus customers. ”

Jens Mullak, Managing Director of INIT Ltd, said: “INIT has enjoyed a strong partnership with National Express West Midlands for many years and we recognise that passengers now demand greater choice when it comes to paying for their travel.

“Within six weeks our engineers retrofitted the ticket validators across National Express West Midlands ' entire fleet with new barcode scanners. This new payment method speeds up boarding times because passengers activate their ticket before they board and then simply scan the stored QR code on our validators as they enter the bus.

“National Express also benefits because they have visibility of their passengers ' movements when they scan their barcodes. ”

The announcement marks more milestones in the long-standing partnership between National Express West Midlands and Masabi, delivering continuous upgrades and improvements to make it even easier for customers to ditch the car and switch to travel by bus.

For more information on National Express West Midlands ' mTickets please visit the website here.