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Riding the ferry to N.Y.? There's an app for thatNEW YORK, Jan 04, 2012 (Asbury Park Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Your iPhone, Android and iPad can now be used as a ferry ticket, and they have the potential to be your commuter rail or bus ticket in the future. NY Waterway on Tuesday became the first mass-transit operation in the country to launch a mobile phone application that allows smartphone and iPad users to get information and buy ferry tickets with their mobile devices. "You can establish an account with us, purchase tickets and activate that ticket and the (smartphone/tablet) screen will display your boarding pass," said Paul Goodman, CEO of Billybey Ferry Co., one of the two companies doing business under the NY Waterway name. "It's all self-contained in your phone. It's an information and ticketing tool." Passengers would display a purchased single or monthly ticket on the screen of their smartphone to the deck crew the same way they now show a paper single ticket or monthly pass, Goodman said. Instructions are on the NY Waterway website. "It will be on the phone with watermarked security features," he said. The app was developed by Bytemark Inc., of New York, which worked with NY Waterway, Goodman said. To his knowledge and that of Bytemark spokesman Micah Bergdale, it's the first ticketing app of its kind in the county. Bergdale said it could be applied to commuter rail and bus systems. "We've talked to a number of different transit agencies in the country and had discussions with bus and rail carriers on how it would work," Bergdale said. "We've had high-level discussions with NJ Transit and SEPTA, but nothing beyond that." NY Waterway plans to have customer service teams at its terminals this week to introduce the app to riders, Goodman said. Larry Higgs: 732-643-4277; [email protected] ___ (c)2012 the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |