Just days after local transit officials proclaimed the end of the line for the system's venerable bus and subway tokens, they unveiled 21st century technology allowing commuters to simply flash a smartphone for rides aboard Metro Bus and Rail.

The new mobile ticketing app will soon allow transit riders to buy bus and rail passes on their phones, eliminating the need for many to find ticket machines or pay with cash.

With commuters in dozens of other cities around the country already using the method, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority has decided to not wait for the new fare collection system it will introduce late this year and make the app available beginning April 1.

“You simply show your phone to the operator, the operator verifies that it’s a pass, and on you go,” said Thomas George, NFTA director of public transit. “You won’t have to look for a ticket vending machine or have $2 in cash to get on a bus.”