Public transit investments generate outsized economic returns, and modern fare systems like Kuba’s help agencies unlock those benefits for riders, local businesses, and the wider U.S. economy. The APTA Annual Report’s RCA Campaign data offers a powerful backdrop to show how ongoing improvements turn those numbers into real, local outcomes.

Public transit drives the U.S. economy. Underscored in APTA's Research, Communications, and Advocacy (RCA) Campaign, public transportation is made in America, creates jobs, spurs innovation, and supports and grows businesses. Long‑term transit investments yield a 5‑to‑1 economic return, meaning every dollar invested in transit systems and services comes back fivefold in productivity, wages, and local spending.

Those gains don’t just sit in federal spreadsheets. APTA highlights that more than 2,000 suppliers support a $93‑billion‑a‑year U.S. public transportation industry, and that 77 percent of federal public transit funding flows directly to the private sector. Nearly 9 in 10 transit trips directly benefit the local economy. That means getting workers to jobs, customers to stores, and students to campuses makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy.

Why Modern Fare Systems Matter 

The APTA Annual Report also shows that 430,000+ people work in public transportation and that every $1 billion invested supports about 50,000 jobs. These numbers depend on agencies being able to operate efficiently, grow ridership, and demonstrate value to policymakers. Modern fare collection is a quiet but critical enabler: it reduces cash handling costs, closes revenue leaks, and generates better ridership data for planning, which in turn helps agencies make a stronger case for sustained funding.

Kuba’s mobility platform is built precisely for this environment. It provides account‑based ticketing, open‑loop payments (contactless EMV cards and mobile wallets), and modular components that agencies can adopt step‑by‑step. By shifting from physical tickets to rider accounts, agencies can implement features like fare capping and targeted discounts that align directly with APTA’s equity, workforce, and innovation priorities.

MST + Kuba: APTA’s Numbers in Action

Monterey‑Salinas Transit offers a clear example of how APTA’s macro‑level statistics translate into local impact when paired with transit technology. Through Cal‑ITP’s Mobility Marketplace, MST selected Kuba for fare validators, Littlepay for fare calculation, and Elavon for payment processing to deliver a full “tap‑to‑ride” system across its bus network.

​With Tap2Ride, MST riders pay simply by tapping a contactless bank card or mobile wallet, with fares capped at $6 per day, $20 per 7‑day period, and $70 per 31‑day period for regular riders (half those amounts for eligible discount riders). This type of pay‑as‑you‑go fare capping removes upfront cost barriers, making it easier for low‑income riders and occasional users to ride more often. This directly supports APTA’s finding that nearly 9 in 10 trips benefit the local economy.

​The same modular procurement blueprint MST used can be reused at prices that are cost‑effective. The speed of onboarding amplifies the impact of job creation and innovation that APTA highlights in its RCA Campaign. MST’s collaboration with Google Wallet, which lets riders see trip history and pay‑as‑you‑go savings, further shows how vendor‑enabled contactless systems can increase transparency and trust. This is key to sustaining ridership growth and public support.

Aligning Kuba Deployments with APTA’s Strategic Priorities

APTA’s updated three‑year Strategic Plan calls for aggressive advocacy for sustained investment, harnessing innovations in mobility and technology, elevating transit as a career, and evolving procurement and service delivery models. Kuba’s SaaS‑based, modular approach directly supports those priorities by offering pre‑integrated components that shorten project timelines, reduce risk, and free agency staff to focus on service rather than hardware and custom development.

​At the same time, account‑based ticketing and open‑loop systems produce rich, anonymized data on how, when, and where riders travel, which agencies can feed into APTA’s research, ridership dashboards, and local funding pitches. When agencies like MST, ACE Rail, or MetroLink Tulsa deploy Kuba solutions, they are not just modernizing payment. These transit agencies build measurable proof that every dollar invested in transit delivers the economic, equity, and innovation outcomes that APTA’s RCA Campaign promotes.

Download our white paper

For additional insights, get your copy of the Kuba white paper: A roadmap for reinventing fare collection.