trimetapp12Looks like Portland likes the idea of paying for their public transit tickets with a smartphone.

TriMet, Oregon’s largest provider of bus, light rail and commuter rail transit services, debuted its new e-ticket app last week and the numbers so far are looking good.

As of 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, there have been more than 16,000 downloads of the app and more than 21,700 mobile tickets and passes sold. The app alone has generating in excess of $100,000 in sales.

TriMet GM Neil McFarlane called it a “remarkable start.”

“This is just the latest innovation we’ve implemented that benefits our riders, and the improvements will continue as we move toward an electronic fare system in the coming years,” he said in a statement.

Essentially, the free app eliminates the need to purchase paper tickets from a machine and allows you to easily buy transit fares using your Android device or iPhone.

Portland is the first city in the U.S. to implement this system-wide. Places like Boston and New Jersey have implemented similar mobile ticketing tools, but for just one mode of transportation at a time.

globesherpalogo12TriMet told The Oregonian that it expects this new app to save the agency millions due to reduced transaction costs and elimination of ticket machine maintenance. GlobeSherpa also implemented a security feature on the app that allows Tri-Met officials to easily validate tickets.

The app was built by GlobeSherpa, a Portland-based provider of secure mobile ticketing software and services that landed a $1.3 million round led by The Oregon Angel Fund in March.

Portland Streetcar implemented a mobile ticketing system this week, also powered by GlobeSherpa.

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