Cal-ITP: California Integrated Travel Project

Our customers

The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) is working with transit agencies across the state (and country!) to promote a modern and consistent transportation experience throughout California. Each and every transit agency in the state can become a Cal-ITP customer. We provide free technical assistance and support to help agencies implement Contactless Payments, Benefits, GTFS and more.

Why it matters

Network of agencies

Why it matters

1.88M

Daily transit rides in CA1

230+

Transit agencies in CA; all can leverage Cal-ITP2

Network of agencies

A map of California with the location of over 230 transit agencies.

Selected agency highlights

Commuter riders board a Ventura County Transportation Commission bus.
“As a small agency who doesn’t have the resources to be specialists in these areas, we’re able to leverage Cal-ITP’s support to get complicated tech projects done more quickly…or at all.”
— Public Transit Director in Ventura County

GTFS

Ventura County Transportation Commission
  • Fleet size: 41
  • Services operated: fixed-route, paratransit
  • Goals:
    • Improve GTFS production processes
    • Streamline scheduling operations
    • Modernize fleet
    • Regional open-loop contactless payment system
    • Regional interoperability

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) supports several transit agencies in greater Ventura County and manages two. With a goal of unifying and modernizing transit in their region, VCTC partnered with Cal-ITP. They wanted to pilot scheduling software that could help them adjust existing routes, plan for the addition of electric vehicles, make quick and efficient schedule changes, and export high-quality GTFS (as required by the National Transit Database). In addition, Cal-ITP helped VCTC to better understand integrations between their technology vendors, to work to implement open loop payments on their VCTC Intercity service and to identify opportunities to streamline GTFS processes.

An accessible bus with doors open, showing a smiling bus driver inside. The bus is labeled “Glenn Ride” and parked in a sunlit lot with trees in the background.

Contactless payments

Glenn County Transportation Division
  • Fleet size: 13
  • Services operated: fixed-route, paratransit
  • Goals:
    • Implement contactless payments
    • Reduce cash dependency
    • Reduce dwell times

Glenn County is a small agency with big goals to improve the rider experience through contactless payments. They are working with their Cal-ITP account manager and a team of Cal-ITP payments specialists to plan the project and prepare for implementation. The Cal-ITP team’s role includes guiding the agency through scoping their requirements, making use of the State of California Master Service Agreements, and providing support with rider marketing and communications. This dedicated support is designed to help Glenn County make informed decisions, meet their deadlines, and set them up for a successful contactless payments launch.

“Our county’s situation may be a bit more unique than other jurisdictions, requiring more handholding, but Cal-ITP’s assistance hasn’t wavered. They’ve navigated us throughout this process and provided crucial resources—that’s more than appreciated.”
— Administrative Services Analysts in Glenn County
Orange light rail in Sacramento in front of a building with colorful mural.

Our impact

Over the last 5 years, Cal-ITP has worked collaboratively with our customers to make progress toward the following goals:

10+

Number of pre-negotiated MSAs available for purchasing transit tech

57%

Increase in number of agencies we helped from 2023 to 2024

91%

Reduction in amount of expired GTFS Schedule Feeds since 20233

Simplified rider experience

Through tap to pay, benefit eligibility policy standardization, GTFS, and more

Benefits

Monterey-Salinas Transit
  • Fleet size: 170
  • Services operated: fixed-route, paratransit
  • Goals:
    • Reduce cash dependency
    • Implement contactless payments for all riders
    • Streamline eligibility verification for discounts
    • Improve connectivity in rural areas

After implementing contactless payments, Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) needed a way to help their riders quickly and easily access transit benefits and discounts. They wanted a minimalist, seamless solution. They wanted riders to be able to use their benefits without downloading a new app or device.

Cal-ITP partnered with MST to review existing fare policies, including for federally required groups like veterans and older adults. MST implemented Cal-ITP Benefits, an automated process which allows riders to link their transit discount to their card for contactless payment. Digitally verifying identification reduced the burden on the customer service team at MST, who previously processed all applications by hand.

In 2022, MST became the first transit agency in the nation to provide an automated method for older adults to obtain their transit benefit via an open-loop contactless payment system. In the past year, there has been a 200% increase in reduced-fare transactions using the contactless system!

Subscribe to the Benefits Monthly Update to learn more and to stay connected as we expand.

“The Cal-ITP team is wonderful to work with. We greatly appreciate their support, technical expertise, and collaboration!”
- Marketing and Communications Manager in Monterey-Salinas Transit
A man in a wheelchair boarding a MST bus via a wheelchair lift. The bus is blue with a waving American flag decal across the top. The bus is making a stop at a wide sidewalk.

Get in touch today to see how Cal-ITP can help!

Cal-ITP’s Customer Success team will provide a dedicated account manager who can help your agency meet your goals. Together, we make transit in California better for everyone.

Two thought bubbles with dashes of various lengths, meant to represent words in a conversation

E-mail hello@calitp.org to connect with the Cal-ITP team.