Moovit partners with Israel Railways and Carmelit to pay for train rides across the country

Starting this week, local riders will be able to pay for train services, as well as plan their routes, using Israel’s mobility app, Moovit. The Ministry of Transport selected the Mobility-as-a-Service app to provide Israel Railways and Carmelit riders with easier ways to pay for their journeys.

Moovit, which has payment capabilities provided by Pango, helps eliminate the need for travel passes or ‘RavKav’ cards. By removing the need for additional apps or documents, Israeli travelers will be able to seamlessly experience trains and busses without the need for extra services. The app had already been in service for bus routes around the country.

“The launch of mobile ticketing in Moovit is an important milestone for public transportation in Israel”, said Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s Chief Growth, and Marketing Officer. “From our vast global experience, we know that making transportation more accessible, as part of Mobility-as-a-Service, increases riders’ satisfaction and ultimately their loyal ridership. Moovit now has everything one needs to plan, pay, and ride - all from one app - which makes getting around more convenient and efficient.”

Moovit provides guidance and information related to public transport, but it also helps users plan and find rides for a variety of different micro-mobility or carpool models, such as bicycles, e-scooters, Gett, Waze Carpool, and more. The first time Moovit’s service was expanded into the train system was in the city of Haifa, where it was integrated earlier this month.

Whereas payment is usually handled ahead of the journey with conventional bus passes, Moovit users will simply need to download the latest version of their existing app and scan a QR code on the side of the vehicle’s car. Then, payment is determined at the end of the month based on the usage or travel distance of the user.

Moovit was founded in 2011 by Nir Erez and Roy Bick, who serve as CEO and COO respectively. It had raised a total of $131.5 million across four rounds until it was acquired by Intel for $900 million in May 2020, at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Today, Moovit amasses around six billion data points per day and has 950 million users in 112 countries and 45 languages.