Take the Commuter Rail Through Westborough? There's an App for That

Westborough residents who take the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail can now purchase tickets using a mobile ticketing app on their smartphones. 

After rolling out the app for north side commuter rail lines earlier this month, the MBTA opened up its mTicket app for south side lines yesterday (including the Framingham/Worcester line), according to Metro Boston.

The Framingham/Worcester line passes through Westborough. 

In addition to purchasing tickets and 10-ride passes, the app now allows commuter rail customers to purchase monthly passes and get a $10 discount, Metro Boston reported.

As of Wednesday, the mTicket app also opened up to T commuter boats.

Once a customer purchases a ticket on the phone, the system works by displaying the tickets on the phone’s screen as a digital “flash pass” barcode. 

Customers will also benefit from not having to pay the on-board surcharge. Less than half of the 140 Commuter Rail stations have fare vending machines forcing customers to buy tickets on the train, according to the MBTA. 

Since its release last month, the app has been well-received by commuter rail riders. Thousands of riders have downloaded the app since its release. 

According to the MBTA, the first-in-the-country commuter mobile ticketing program will reduce MBTA costs as less ticket machines will be needed.