CharmPass

This app worked seamlessly (w/ the exception of the MTA Metro agent not being able to articulate how or when to open the “Use Ticket” tab). Used for the 1st time this morning after hearing of its release yesterday. So far, really good! The 90min transfer is an added perk that I’m glad MTA has brought back (Until recently I traveled daily on the subway, transferring to the light rail which takes less than an hr total, but would be required to pay twice as it wasn’t considered a one way trip). I hope the app never malfunctions bc Baltimore commuters deserved the modernization.

If the developer... - adds the ability to see purchase history when buying more than one ticket (example: if I want to buy again the same two outbound and inbound tickets as before, I can choose my outbound ticket from Purchase History; but after tapping “Add Another Ticket”, there isn’t an option to return to the Purchase History screen and select my inbound ticket — I have to create it from scratch). - makes the app work offline in case cellular data service is bad in a crowded train station - sends alerts about delays and changes based on the tickets I have active (although this feature would conflict with the offline request above) - component to add tickets to Apple Watch (more of a nice-to-have bonus, but it’d be slick) ... then I’d probably give this app five stars instead of three. It really is pretty easy to use, and how it integrates Apple Pay is a no-brainer. Perhaps the only other missing feature is a way to find stations by location, like on a map. But I can find them in Apple Maps, and if I’m already at a station, I’d obviously know where it is and what name it has. So scratch my idea of adding complexity by integrating a map.

I’m really glad that there’s finally an easy way to get tickets or passes for transit in Maryland without having cash or a loaded CharmCard. When I’m trying to catch a MARC train at the last minute I don’t have to stop for a ticket and maybe miss the train. Same thing for when a Light Rail train shows up just when I do. Or, if I have my CharmCard and my child doesn’t I use the CharmPass to buy their ticket. My only frustration is that I once bought a ticket mistakenly for a route I’ll never take but there’s no way to refund the ticket, even though it’s still unused in my phone. But overall it’s a great app.

When I first purchase the app, I made my profile & add my mode of payment. It was easy to purchase tickets as you have to select your mode of transportation from the drop down menu. However, I didn’t know that purchasing the tickets are different from activating the tickets. When you buy the tickets, there an expiration date. But, when you click on the ticket it is activated. This means that if the train conductor do not check your activation than the ticket you purchase is wasted.

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I used the app yesterday to buy two tickets - my wife and her sister are going on a trip and wanted to take a bus to the airport. The app seemed easy to use, but the instructions for activating the tickets are not clear. I activated the tickets shortly before leaving the house to catch the bus, but the tickets were no longer active when they got on the bus. Apparently the tickets are good for only a very few minutes after activation. This make the app useless to us, as my wife is not tech savvy enough to open the app on her smartphone and activate just before boarding. It also assumes one has an Internet connection to activate the tickets. Now I feel ripped off and angry we wasted our money and time with this app.