Saturday 5 November 2016

Meet two brothers working to revolutionize the MetroCard system

This app could make your commute a lot easier

Meet Roger and Jeff Flores, two brothers from Washington Heights who have a created an app that honestly, should’ve been invented a long time ago.

We’ve all had our share of days when nothing seems to go right. Imagine yourself running late, only to get to the train station to discover that your MetroCard has a zero balance or has expired. Now imagine how convenient your life would be if there was an app that allowed you to check your balance and reload from the convenience of your smartphone, bypassing the crowded MetroCard kiosks. That is where Metroki comes in, reports DNAinfo.

The Flores brothers created Metroki to give New Yorkers an alternative to the annoying kiosks that often times don’t work or are only accepting one form of payment or another, for whatever reason. "We constantly take the train, and one of the frustrations was that you couldn’t check the balance on your card remotely," stated Jeff Flores.

After working on the app for over a year, Jeff and Roger saw MTA’s request for proposals for a "system integrator" that would eventually implement a new account-based fare payment system, linked to bank or credit cards. If the MTA eventually decides to part ways with the yellow plastic card, Metroki would also allow users to use their cellphones as a "tap and go" form of payment, almost like Apple Pay but for the MTA.

While the two brothers are awaiting a response from the MTA, they continue to refine their app, working with 2020 Startups NYC to refine their app and expand their vision. Their hopes are that Metroki could one day work not just in New York City but in any city with mass public transit systems.



from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/5/13515818/metrocard-refill-app-metroki-jeff-roger-flores

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