trentbarton’s mango app for smartphones has been downloaded by more than 30,000 trentbarton customers.
The old mango card it replaces is withdrawn from service today [16 November].
The app has been used to pay for £800,000 of bus fares since its launch just 12 weeks ago. Last week mango cards were being used for just three per cent of journeys, with the mango app already at more than 30 per cent of fare paying travel.
In total more than 400,000 mango app journeys had taken place before this weekend’s full switch over to the smartphone-based app. On its busiest days the mango app has been used more than 10,000 times in 24 hours.
There have been 18,000 migrations from an existing card to the new app, with customers easily and quickly transferring any credit to the app.
More than half of mango app users are adults, more than a quarter are young people aged 18 and under and nearly a fifth are students.
The scan-on, scan-off app has a daily cap on charges plus rolling weekly and 28-day caps. Customers can download the mango app for free from their Apple or Android devices. The app has an on-screen balance and instant online top up.
Customers who do not own a smartphone can continue to benefit from discounted travel using saver and zigzag tickets or by paying with contactless debit or credit cards. Cash is also still accepted for fares, as are concessionary passes.
Tom Morgan, commercial director of trentbarton, said: “Today is a big moment in the mango story. The mango card might be no more, but the new mango app is the ticket to an exciting future of innovation for trentbarton and our customers.
“We know some people will be sorry to see the cards go. They were the future once but had reached the limit of their development. The mango app is fully up and running and will enable us to better serve our customers for years to come.”
