Bus Riders in Moncton Can Now Use HotSpot App To Plan Trips, Buy Passes
MONCTON– HotSpot has officially launched a new addition to their platform in Moncton this week that they hope will change the way Atlantic Canadians use public transit.
The four-year-old Fredericton-based tech company offers HotSpot Parking services which allow commuters to avoid parking tickets by being able to pay and top-up the parking meter from their mobile device. Now they’re bringing that model to city transit, starting with Moncton and Codiac Transpo.
HotSpot Transit will allow transit users to plan trips and track the buses in real time with the HotSpot app, which they can download for free. For just $2 a month, or $20 a year riders of the Codiac Transpo will be able to purchase their bus passes, whether it be a one-trip pass or a monthly pass, via the HotSpot app. This fee also allows them to access the car parking services at no additional cost.
“HotSpot Parking has more of a goal of having this single app where Atlantic Canadians can [take care of] all of their transportation needs,” says Jared Goodman, HotSpot Transit Marketing Manager. “Introducing HotSpot transit in Moncton is just a step towards that ultimate goal.”
Anyone who has taken the bus knows the feeling of digging for change or running to a nearby store to purchase a pass. HotSpot Transit aims to take that often time-consuming inconvenience away. Goodman says it HotSpot Transit will also help increase ridership in the city.
“Increased ridership is the biggest selling feature to the city for city transit, especially young people and students who always look for the next Airbnb or the next Uber, that big product that’s innovating the way they move around their daily life and just making it easier,” he says. “I think that’s what attracts me to HotSpot so much, is they’re literally taking something that everybody does every single day and trying to make it easier.”
Though HotSpot Transit is only available in Moncton right now, Goodman says if successful, the plan is to expand into other New Brunswick and Atlantic Canadian cities in the future.