MyTix is the official New Jersey Transit mobile app for purchasing and using electronic tickets on the trains and buses in the garden state. I used it for the first time on a weekend trip with my family to The High Line in Manhattan. While we waited for the train to arrive, I downloaded the app and tried to buy one-way tickets for our trip from Princeton Junction to Penn Station.
The app has a rudimentary and unattractive user interface but provides the functionality needed to buy and use an electronic ticket. I was required to create an account using my email address and zip code and then link my credit card to that account. Once I completed that step, I was able to buy tickets. The app allows the user to set up more than one payment method. That's quite useful if you need to separate your business and personal expenses. I can use my business credit card to buy tickets for business trips and my credit card when travelling with my family.
Purchasing a ticket is straightforward. Choose the travel method, select an origin and destination, choose the ticket type, e.g. adult, child or senior, and then the payment method. It wasn't clear to me at first. I had to activate the tickets before I could use them. I had some issues activating the tickets. The app is susceptible to network latency. Despite having enough cellar coverage to browse the web, the app would not activate my tickets. I moved around on the train platform until I got a signal strong enough to complete the process. However, once activated, one must use tickets within 24 hours. The app provides a count down timer. Active tickets appear under the Active tab in the My Tickets screen. The All tab has a history of the last few expired tickets. Tapping an expired ticket will show you the ticket details.
While sitting on the train, I selected my purchased tickets, and a QR code was displayed to present to the train conductor. She quickly scanned the displayed QR code and indicated that she just needed to see the countdown timer to verify that the tickets had not expired.
