You can book a taxi from your phone. Rent a car from your phone. Schedule a cross-continental flight from your phone. Then you hop on the local bus without a pass (or the perfect combination of quarters/loonies/toonies) — where your bus driver’s eyes glaze over with a mixture of contempt and mockery: You thought you could pay for this with plastic? You dolt. You dingbat. You bumptious little troglodyte.

Whether it’s counting nickels at the bus stop, dashing into a corner store for a pass last-minute, enduring the long morning line at a fare machine, or trying to decrypt one in a foreign country — paying for transit can be a uniquely dreadful experience. It’s the payment equivalent of being forced to use a rotary phone.

No more rotary madness. Keep the dread for your locks. Mobile transit tickets are here — no additional app required — starting with our first partner city, St. Catharines, Ontario.

Let’s dive right in.