Delivering benefits without the paperwork

Public transit systems offer reduced fares to groups like seniors, people with disabilities, SNAP recipients, and others. But to get a reduced fare, riders often need to wait for a card in the mail, submit paperwork in-person at a customer service desk, and navigate eligibility standards that vary by transit system.

At the same time, reduced fare riders typically must pay with cash or a reloadable transit card. More agencies are adding debit and credit card options at the fare validator (i.e. open payments) to speed up boarding, lower operational costs, and simplify payment experiences. But how do you give a reduced fare when someone taps a credit card on a bus or train?

I currently lead design and research for Cal-ITP Benefits to solve both of these challenges. We let riders skip the paperwork and get tap-to-pay reduced fares at multiple providers through secure and simple online identity and eligibility checks.

Outcomes:

• Built digital identity and eligibility check flows that integrate with government APIs and data sources to qualify riders instantly online without paperwork.
• Designed a regional benefit enrollment process that lets riders access tap to pay reduced fares at seven neighboring transit agencies with one application.
• Delivered a roadmap for extending product access to riders with disabilities and youth by leading user research with 17 transit providers and reduced fare riders.
• Established design operations to limit one-off design work, increase translation support, and leverage reusable patterns that increase the product's legibility, usability, and predictability.