New MCTS Mobile App Launches Friday

Friday, April 29 is the last day that transit riders can use the Ride MCTS mobile application.

After 8 a.m. on Friday, MCTS is making the transition to a new mobile app called WisGo. This new mobile app is the first part of MCTS’ transition to a new fare collection system, which it expects to implement by the end of the year. This new system is the Umo Mobility Platform built by Cubic Transportation Systems, a multinational transportation and defense company.

MCTS riders that haven’t downloaded the new app and wish to do so can download it here. Riders will still be able to pay fares with M-cards and cash going forward.

After 8 a.m. Friday, any fares previously purchased through the Ride MCTS app can be transferred to an M-Card by calling MCTS customer service at 414-937-3218, or 711 for Telecommunications Relay Services.

Some of the features of the new WisGo app will be different from the Ride MCTS app. In a statement released Thursday, MCTS said that some of the new features are temporary, until the full rollout of the app later this year when it’s integrated with the new fare collection system.

A major change is that fares can be purchased as a 105-minute fare for $2, or a 24-hour fare for $5. These are temporary fare options, MCTS said, “until the full app rollout in the fall.”

“Umo fares activate immediately upon purchase, so riders should not purchase fares until ready to board their bus,” MCTS said. This will also be a temporary feature until the fall.

MCTS released an apology for the live bus tracking feature of the app, which it said was “functioning only intermittently.” The transit system said the live bus tracking had been restored as of Thursday.

The county is spending $1.5 million to implement the new app and fare collection system across MCTS, with funding coming from federal grants and the transit system’s operating budget.

The new system will see the eventual phasing out of M-Cards. These will be replaced with “smart cards” that function as contactless credit cards that passengers can load with money through the app or at more than 200 retail locations that will be set up in neighborhoods throughout the county, according to MCTS. Once the new fare system is fully integrated, riders will also be able to pay for fares using Apple Pay and Google Pay.