Trentbarton has launched its new mango app for smart phones. It is believed to be the first account-based ticketing app that records the start and end point of each bus journey.
Trentbarton says it is the world’s most advanced ticketing app. Customers can download the new mango app for free on Apple or Android devices. The app automatically generates a QR-style barcode, which the passenger scans at the Ticketer terminal as they board and alight the bus.
Each night, the Actora cloud-based system – provided by technology partner ACT, a Fujitsu company – calculates the amount to charge for the day’s journeys based on applicable fares and caps, using the precise points of boarding and alighting.
Fares are capped at a daily, rolling weekly and 28-day level. Discounts are available for students and apprentices. Should a passenger fail to ‘scan-off’, they are charged to the end of that service’s journey, and can contact Trentbarton customer service for a refund if charged incorrectly.
The mango app will soon be rolled out to Trentbarton’s sister company Kinchbus, and will slowly replace the existing mango card. Customers have a two month migration period to transfer any existing credit.
Jeff Counsell, Managing Director of Trentbarton, says: “We’ve taken the best bits of the mango card and put them into the mango app plus added more to bring mango into the smartphone age.
“By being purely digital, the app gives us the scope to keep developing mango in the future by adding in more features and benefits for our customers. It’s simple to use but behind it is a complex system of fares, caps and tracking dynamic locations.”
Head of ACT Mark Fagan adds: “Customers benefit from using their phone to complete the whole ticketing process, with no need to interact with multi-user touchpoints. We hope it will go some way in restoring confidence in using public transport.”
