Commuter-rail riders may soon be able to buy a ticket on their smartphone.
The MTA is looking for an app developer to create the program, officials said yesterday. Depending on how the app is created, the digital tickets would either be printed out or displayed on screen to a conductor.
“Ticketing via smartphone will help our customers avoid having to put down what they’re doing and rummage through a wallet or purse,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut. The MTA could roll out the program by the fall of 2014.
“A large and growing segment of our customers already have their smartphones or tablets out with them as they ride,” said MetroNorth President Howard Permut.
The LIRR tested digital ticketing over the summer with a pilot program for trips to the Barclays PGA Tour.
Almost 6,000 people bought the tickets on their devices.