San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission’s ACE Rail is rolling out account-based ticketing, giving their riders a more convenient and flexible way to pay for trips.
Mobility payments specialist, Kuba, announces today that it has deployed an account-based ticketing (ABT) platform, mobile app, and customer portal for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC). In the first phase of its contract, the system will be rolled out across the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) commuter rail network.
Modernizing fare collection
SJRRC selected Kuba to help advance key goals. First, to upgrade and modernize ACE Rail’s fare collection system. This upgrade is a critical step towards delivering a data-driven, efficient operation, while improving the rider experience. Kuba’s ticketing platform offers potential to achieve the longer-term vision of deploying open-loop fare payments and supporting an interoperable fare system across ACE rail and other connecting services.
Multi-token acceptance was an essential requirement for SJRRC, to ensure payment options for the unbanked and underbanked, as well as digital natives. Kuba’s solution accepts multiple ‘travel tokens’ in place of traditional tickets, including digitized cash and dynamic barcodes in a mobile app. It will also eventually be enabled to accept contactless EMV payments.
Riders will be able to plan, book and pay for journeys. The customer website and mobile app, both provided by Kuba, will be fully integrated into the ABT system. Using either interface, riders can get full access to their travel and payment history.
Brian Frank, Kuba’s General Manager, North America, said:
“We’re thrilled to partner with SJRRC on this exciting initiative. We look forward to demonstrating how Kuba’s mobility platform can be used to make journeys simpler and transport operations easier to manage and optimize. Our teams are already working well together, and we’re eager to see the project unfold.”
Automatic best-value for riders
SJRRC chose Kuba to provide its new ticketing system, in part because of the flexibility its technology offers to set-up unique fare rules in its back office. Rules can be defined to reward riders who travel frequently within a defined period through fare capping.
In addition, Kuba’s ABT platform can connect with third-party systems, such as government portals that handle concessions eligibility. Using this type of integration, SJRRC could allow a ‘right to a reduced fare’ to be linked to a rider’s account and automatically applied as they use the system. Eligible groups, to be defined by ACE Rail, could include communities that work or study in institutions along the route, riders with disabilities, seniors and children.
ACE provides essential service from California’s Central Valley to the Bay Area. It connects commuters between Stockton and San Jose with 815,000 unlinked trips yearly. Supporting Silicon Valley commuters, the heart of the world’s tech industry, ACE also provides special event service to Levi’s Stadium, the site of NFL games and a host venue for the 2026 World Cup.
David Lipari, Deputy Director of Passenger Experience & Communications at ACE Rail, said:
“ACE riders now have a much-improved ticketing experience. The solution will better prepare our agency to provide a service that incentivizes ridership by making travel easier.”
Data-driven decision making
Kuba’s ABT system offers another compelling advantage: it provides a rich source of data on riders’ travel and payments behavior that can be captured for analysis and reporting. Information on how riders use the network and how they prefer to pay is a valuable asset, which could be used to inform ACE Rail’s service and fare policy decisions going forward.
