LA Metro CX 360 with iPaaS

Deploying the Jitterbit Harmony platform, Invoke Technologies connects the agency’s legacy IT with new digital services for bus and rail customers

Owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, LA Metro serves as transportation planner, designer, and operator for the largest and most populous county in the United States. With more than 10 million residents in its service area, the agency maintains a six-line urban rail system with 93 stations and a bus transit system with 187 routes.

CHALLENGE

Limited IT connectivity presents obstacles in a smartcard project’s evolution

Serving a large and tech-savvy population, LA Metro provides its bus and rail customers with innovative services designed to enhance the passenger experience. “Anything we can do to get people to work faster or get on the bus more easily is very important,” says Mark Kroncke, Partner at Invoke Technologies, a municipal fare-collection specialist engaged by the agency.

To streamline the passenger experience, LA Metro launched its Transit Access Pass (TAP) program, offering smartcards that enable users to enter a station or pay for a trip with a simple tap against a device. The organization planned to continue extending the TAP platform’s functionality by allowing customers to order cards, check balances, and make payments online.

However, LA Metro soon discovered limitations posed by its legacy IT infrastructure—it lacked the seamless connectivity between systems required for the next phase of the project. In addition to presenting a challenge in enhancing the TAP card’s capabilities, the infrastructure resulted in fragmented processes, siloed data, and a lack of visibility and centralized reporting for the agency.

SOLUTION

A Jitterbit Harmony solution integrates legacy IT with new digital capabilities

LA Metro wanted to preserve its legacy technology, which supports key functions and performs well. “There are no plans to change it because it does a good job,” says Kroncke. “It gets people through gates quickly and it gets people onto buses quickly.”

To maintain LA Metro’s existing infrastructure while enhancing its connectivity capabilities, Invoke Technologies deployed Jitterbit Harmony, a low-code integration platform. The Jitterbit integration solution connects a high-performance website that offers online TAP card services with the agency’s legacy systems and applications, including Salesforce, Oracle, and data warehousing environments.

For Invoke Technologies, deploying the Jitterbit technology proved to be one of the fastest and easiest aspects of the overall effort. “The implementation of Jitterbit went very smoothly,” says Kroncke. “Other systems took a lot more effort and attention.”

BENEFITS

Bus and rail passengers manage their smartcard accounts anytime, anywhere

With Jitterbit Harmony deployed by Invoke Technologies, 1.5 million TAP card users can now perform account activities—including checking balances and refilling their cards—quickly and easily from any device.

Plus, by integrating LA Metro’s systems, the Jitterbit technology makes the agency’s data visible and easily accessible across the enterprise. In addition to providing LA Metro with key insight into rider behavior, the increased visibility and accessibility allows the organization to streamline processes and centralize reporting.

Based on the ease and effectiveness of the deployment, Invoke Technologies plans to implement Jitterbit technology in additional projects throughout Los Angeles. “We absolutely have plans to implement ‘touch’ parking and kiosks at libraries and other places around the county,” says Kroncke.

Summary

• LA Metro wanted to extend the functionality of its bus and rail smartcard, allowing passengers to check their accounts and make payments online, but its IT infrastructure lacked the necessary connectivity.
• Invoke Technologies, a municipal fare-collection specialist engaged by LA Metro, deployed Jitterbit Harmony, a low-code integration platform, to connect a website offering online account services with the agency’s legacy systems and applications.
• Now, 1.5 million LA Metro smartcard users perform account activities quickly and easily from any device. Plus, enhanced data visibility provides the agency with key insight into rider behavior and allows for both streamlined processes and centralized reporting.