Alexandria’s DASHBus Introduces Mobile Ticketing App and $1.00 Fares

Alexandria, VA—The Alexandria Transit Company (DASH) and moovel (becoming REACH NOW), the leading provider of mobile ticketing solutions in North America, announced today the launch of the first mobile ticketing app serving buses in the Washington, D.C. area. The DASHBus app provides a convenient fare payment and value-loading option for DASH bus riders, especially during times when SmarTrip ticket vending machines (TVMs) are not available at WMATA’s Alexandria Metrorail stations.

From now until Sunday, September 8, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will shut down six Blue and Yellow line Metro stations south of Reagan National Airport for full platform reconstruction and station improvements. The DASHBus app will give transit riders another convenient option to take the bus, pay for tickets and reach their destination as easily and quickly as possible, while the six Metrorail stations in Alexandria are closed for repair. DASH is providing free rides to the first 50 people who download and create an account in the DASHBus app.

DASH customers will be able to purchase tickets using a variety of payment methods, plan trips, and access advanced purchase features, through moovel’s Mobility App platform, which offers an industry-leading interface and user experience. DASH will also have access to moovel’s Transaction and Operations Management System (TOMS), which supports a diverse range of back-end services to increase operational efficiencies for ticket validation and business intelligence.

DASH and moovel are working to integrate the app with regional transit agencies in hopes of creating a single app that will serve all regional transit travel needs.

“With their strong knowledge of the region and track record of introducing mobile ticketing to new networks, moovel is the ideal partner for the DASHBus app,” said Joshua Baker, General Manager/CEO of DASH. “This mobile app will make riding DASH buses even easier with a handy alternative to cash payments and ticket vending machines.”

“The DASHBus app gives users the flexibility they need to keep their day moving as quickly as possible during the Metro upgrades,” said REACH NOW NA CEO Nat Parker. “We’re excited to work closely with VRE, MTA and DASH to extend our technology to new service areas and create a more integrated transit ecosystem across the DC area.”

DASH General Manager/CEO Joshua Baker and REACH NOW NA CEO Nat Parker are available for interviews about their partnership and the DASHBus app. To schedule an interview, please contact Whitney Code whitney.code@alexandriava.gov or Laura Caster at [email protected].

About moovel North America (becoming REACH NOW)

moovel North America, a part of moovel Group (becoming REACH NOW), offers cities, public transit agencies and users access to multimodal transportation options through simple smartphone applications. A pioneer in Mobility-as-a-Service and the leading North American provider of mobile ticketing solutions for public transit, moovel NA provides a next-generation mobile platform that streamlines the operations for transit agencies and simplifies the travel experience for riders. In addition to DASH, moovel is the mobile ticketing provider for Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and the Maryland Transportation Administration (MTA) within the D.C. area. moovel is one of five joint ventures between the BMW Group and Daimler AG that is reinventing mobility and will be renamed REACH NOW mid 2019. Led by CEO Nat Parker, moovel NA is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

About DASH

The Alexandria Transit Company’s DASH system provides safe, reliable and courteous bus service within the City of Alexandria, and connects Metrobus, Metrorail, Virginia Railway Express, and all local bus systems. DASH is recognized nationally and has won many outstanding achievement awards for marketing, service and safety programs.