Passengers travelling on bus, trolley and rapid transit lines in the US city of Philadelphia can now purchase, store and activate QR code tickets for up to five people travelling the same route on their Apple or Android smartphone.

South East Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is piloting its Key Tix mobile ticketing service across its transit network before adding support for open loop contactless fare payments and enabling passengers to also pay for their journeys by tapping their credit card or mobile device “in the coming months”.

“SEPTA Key Tix gives families and friends travelling together the capability to scan once and pay fares for up to five riders using a single code,” SEPTA explains.

“This program does not replace SEPTA Key Cards, but instead provides a simple solution for occasional riders who want to enjoy the same benefits as cardholders, including one free transfer per transit trip.

“More than 1,200 people have already tested the program during a closed pilot this fall and the beta is now open for anyone to join.”

A short video shows how passengers can purchase, activate and scan mobile tickets using the service:

SEPTA says it plans to expand the Key Tix scheme to regional rail services “in 2023”.

The transport authority first announced plans to roll out mobile ticketing in January 2020, revealed further plans to expand mobile payments for transit ticketing in July 2021 and confirmed in February that it would roll out mobile ticketing later this year.

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