CATS Mobile Ticketing App

Target Audience: Light rail customers and those customers who are also unbanked and /or underbanked.

Strategy Objective:To launch, increase the awareness and use of CATS Mobile Ticketing app's and to educate unbanked/underbanked customers of the CASH Wallet feature. This was accomplished through a series of ads and pr. To reach unbanked / underbanked customers CATS used transportation fairs conducted at the Charlotte Transit Center and incorporated a promotional free one-ride ticket with when a customer initially deposits $10 cash into their CASH Wallet located in the CATS Mobile Ticketing app.

Situation Challenge: With the upcoming launch of a 9 mile light rail line extension, CATS wanted to provide easier, fasters and more economical ticket purchasing for all light rail customers. In addition, CATS wanted to introduce a technology that allowed Low-Income customers that are unbanked or underbanked to participate in the digital economy. Twenty-One percent (21%) of Charlotte residents are unbanked or underbanked. Although over 79% of CATS customers have a smartphone, Low-Income riders do not have access to credit or debit cards since they typically do not have banking accounts. The CATS Mobile Ticketing app incorporated a CASH WALLET that bridges the divide between unbanked / underbanked customers allowing them to participate in the digital economy

Results Impact: In the first year of use, mobile ticket sales reached $1 million representing 20% of the light rail ticket sales. Illustrated the shift of light rail customers to CATS Mobile Ticketing app is the fact that with the launch of the new 9 mile light rail line ridership increased 54% while ticket sales at Ticket Vending Machines only grew 10%. Download of the app reached 28,546 in the first year and over 500 unbanked or underbanked customers used either the CASH Wallet or obtained a pre-paid card to purchase mobile app tickets.

Why Submit: This campaign addressed all the business needs: 1) increase use of sales channel that is significantly cheaper to operate, 2) provide for increased ridership with minimal infrastructure by using customer owned technology 3) obtain good participation in a program that allows Low-Income (unbanked / underbanked) customers to participate in the digital economy.