MTA Accelerates Rollout of 'eTix' Mobile Device Ticket-Buying App

Want a way to streamline your ticket-buying for Metro-North? It's coming to the entire Hudson Valley soon.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that MTA eTix, a free app that will allow Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road customers to purchase train tickets anytime and anywhere with a mobile device, will be rolled out in an accelerated manner.

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The app, which was anticipated to be available to everyone by the end of 2016, will now be available to all riders of both railroads by the end of this summer.

MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast said Cuomo asked the agency to make the app available as quickly as possible and it responded aggressively.

“With the launch of this new app riders can buy their tickets wherever and whenever they want,” he said, “and that means more choice and greater convenience.”

The eTix app will be available for all lines on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad in the following weeks:

• June 30: MTA eTix available on LIRR Port Washington Branch & Metro-North Hudson Line
• Week of July 25: MTA eTix becomes available on Metro-North Harlem Line
• Week August 22: Full system wide implementation of MTA eTix, as the app becomes available on the rest of LIRR and Metro-North’s New Haven Line

The apps can be accessed through the following links:

• For iOS Devices
• For Android Devices

The app will let LIRR and Metro-North customers to check schedules, see service status and buy tickets without waiting in line, according to information from the MTA. There are also account management tools that will let customers get refunds for unused tickets, request duplicate receipts and manage passwords and linked credit card numbers.

The accelerated rollout follows a field test in which 150 customers of the Hudson Line and the LIRR’s Port Washington Branch used the app and reported about its performance.

How to use the eTix app, provided by the MTA:

With MTA eTix, customers who download the app will sign up for an account, select the ticket they wish to buy, and enter credit or debit card information. They will then be able to ride the train in three simple steps:

1. Buy a ticket by entering information about origin and destination, and selecting the type of ticket (one-way, 10-trip, weekly or monthly). The ticket is then saved in an electronic “ticket wallet” feature in the app.

2. Prior to boarding the train, pull up the ticket from the ticket wallet and activate the ticket by tapping on the “activate ticket” button.

3. When a conductor comes through the train to ask for tickets, have the activated ticket displayed, and simply show the smartphone screen to the conductor. Conductors will visually validate the mobile ticket by looking at the screen. As the rollout proceeds, conductors will use a handheld device to scan mobile tickets.

Photo credit: Screenshot of eTix.