MyTix (Now NJ TRANSIT Mobile App) Update

It looks like the MyTix (now called the "NJ TRANSIT Mobile App") has been updated. They finally support one-way tickets on intrastate buses (they have been on interstate bus trips for quite some time). The interface has been completely overhauled and it is a lot smoother than the old version. Overall, it has been greatly improved and provides a much better experience. The only thing I haven't seen is the option to purchase bus transfers. There is nothing about transfers in the FAQ so I am assuming that this is not currently supported, though hopefully will be at some point. I am looking forward to not having to hunt for exact change when taking intrastate bus trips as there have been many occasions where I avoided taking the bus, solely due to not being able to come up with exact change.

quadrock wrote:It looks like the MyTix (now called the "NJ TRANSIT Mobile App") has been updated. They finally support one-way tickets on intrastate buses (they have been on interstate bus trips for quite some time). The interface has been completely overhauled and it is a lot smoother than the old version. Overall, it has been greatly improved and provides a much better experience. The only thing I haven't seen is the option to purchase bus transfers. There is nothing about transfers in the FAQ so I am assuming that this is not currently supported, though hopefully will be at some point. I am looking forward to not having to hunt for exact change when taking intrastate bus trips as there have been many occasions where I avoided taking the bus, solely due to not being able to come up with exact change.

Does it allow purchase of a one-way ticket from point A to point B which would require changing from one bus route to another, i.e., a transfer? If so I would imagine that it would work the same as train tickets have. For example, I have used MyTix for years to simply purchase a one-way from High Bridge to NYP on the Raritan Valley Line. I show the phone to the conductor/ticket taker on the train after departing High Bridge and again to the crew member on the connecting Northeast Corridor train at Newark Penn. The ticket remains valid for a couple of hours after validating it on the app so I would think that a transfer option on the app for buses would likewise be superfluous. Simply show the app to driver of bus 1 and at the transfer point to the driver of bus 2 and so forth.

Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case in the app. It forces you to select a specific bus route and the number of zones you are travelling on that particular route.

The way it works when using cash is you request the driver to sell you "x zones with a transfer". The transfer costs an additional $0.75 and allows you to travel 1 zone on the second bus (if travelling more than one zone on the second bus, you simply pay the difference).

You can search by origin and destination too, but it will limit you to destinations reachable from the origin on one bus.

I wonder did they add QR scanners to buses? If not, they inadvertently may have made transfers free.

I haven't used the app to pay a bus fare yet, but will try it and see if they actually scan the phone with anything or just look at it to make sure the ticket is active. In my experience of using this on interstate buses, the drivers just glanced at the ticket to make sure it was active and did not scan it with any device. Will report back my findings.

ryanov wrote: If not, they inadvertently may have made transfers free.

...as they should be

jamesinclair wrote:
...as they should be

I don't disagree. I find the transfer system, as well as the zone system itself silly. I could maybe justify the zone system for long distance, suburb-to-city routes, but not for local city buses.

I had the chance to try this the other day on a 1-zone trip on the 705 bus. The bus driver does not have any type of scanner, they just look at the activated ticket when boarding, exactly as conductors on trains do. Unfortunately, what they did for buses is set the ticket expiration to 30 minutes (rather than the 2 hours 45 minutes they allow for trains) so unless you have a very short bus ride and quick transfer, the app will force you to buy another ticket. This seems a very clumsy implementation. In my opinion, NJ Transit should either do away with bus transfers altogether or have a mechanism by which you can purchase a transfer in the app. It makes no sense that transfers are available when using cash but not when using their app.

I don't know how that would work. If they allow you to keep the ticket active for a longer period of time or buy a transfer, how could they prevent you from transferring five or six times?

In my opinion, the bus fare system is inefficient and very confusing, especially to new riders. I would eliminate the zone system completely and charge a flat rate for intrastate buses as almost every other public bus system I have ever been on does. Then, either eliminate transfers completely or make them free.

ryanov wrote:I don't know how that would work. If they allow you to keep the ticket active for a longer period of time or buy a transfer, how could they prevent you from transferring five or six times?

Why is that a problem? Nobody likes transferring. Transferring is a cost the agency puts on the commuter because they will not offer direct service. Forcing someone to pay for the inconvenience is adding insult to injury.

It isn't allowed now and the rules are the rules. Something would have to change.

Flat fares don't make any sense, given the vast differences in route length. Some of the Newark/NY to central Jersey/shore points buses are $16 or so one way. What on earth would they charge? I doubt there are many statewide transit authorities period, let alone that charge flat fare.

My thought was that they could keep the zone system or some other type of distance-based fare for the long distance suburban routes (NJ - NYC, NJ - Philadelphia, Jersey Shore/Atlantic City/Mountain Creek/Six Flags, etc.) runs but eliminate them for the local city routes. The short distance zone fares are silly (it's difficult to find exact change for $1.60, $2.55, $3.15, or $3.80).

The zone system is one thing, but the transfer system is even worse. If transferring, you need to find exact change for the $0.75 transfer. On top of that, if you're going more than 1 zone on the second bus, you or the driver need to have exact change for the balance of your trip (the easiest formula I found for that is to present your transfer and subtract the $1.60 cost for 1 zone from your total fare). I can't count the number of times I avoided taking a bus simply because I didn't have enough quarters, dimes, and nickels to provide exact fare, or simply did not feel like figuring it out. I have also met many people that have ridden NJ Transit buses for years and still don't understand the transfer system.

The app is a huge help and avoids the exact change issue but the fact that there is no mechanism for purchasing transfers does not make sense. If you're going to offer a discount for transferring, offer it no matter how your customer is paying for the ride and don't penalize riders for using the app. The zone system is debatable but I believe the transfer system should be eliminated if transit does not have the ability to make it usable for all their fare types.

Average fare would need to be $2.77 or more to eliminate zones. A bad deal for many.