First Bus, one of the UK’s largest bus operators serving more than one million customers per day, has chosen Masabi, the global leader in enterprise-grade SaaS fare collection for public transport, to power its central ticketing engine and provide the foundation for the next generation of digital ticketing innovation.
Over recent months, First Bus has moved its entire mobile ticketing back office onto Masabi’s platform, migrating customer accounts and tickets safely and without disruption. The rollout, which began in April 2026, was deliberately phased and carefully managed, with customer migration, security and data protection prioritised throughout. As a result, millions of First Bus app users have experienced a seamless transition, with no interruption to the journeys and tickets they rely on every day.
Masabi’s platform now supports mobile ticketing across all of First Bus’s regional operations, making the First Bus app – the company’s single largest customer touchpoint – more resilient and better positioned to support future customer experience enhancements and growth. The platform powers ticketing across both the First Bus app and website, giving customers a consistent and reliable way to buy tickets wherever they choose to interact with First Bus.
At the heart of the solution is a multi-tenant brand architecture designed for transport groups operating multiple local businesses under a single organisation, and as such aligns well with the First Bus structure.
The launch marks the start of a broader partnership between First Bus and Masabi, designed to support further digital innovation over the coming years. With the core ticketing platform now modernised, the two organisations are working on an evolving pipeline of enhancements, including expanded multi-operator capabilities and richer ticket-buying experiences.
The partnership also introduces a new partner portal, providing institutional partners, including universities and colleges operating discounted ticketing schemes, with a simpler, self-service way to manage their arrangements with First Bus.
“Moving our customer base onto a new platform without disruption was a significant undertaking and delivering that transition safely and seamlessly was our priority throughout,” said Owen Hughes, Director of Digital and Retail at First Bus. “With the new platform now in place, we have a strong foundation from which to continue improving the digital experience for our customers.”
“First Bus’ migration represents a major technology transformation delivered at significant scale and to an exacting timeline, while ensuring customers continued to be able to access the tickets and services they rely on without interruption,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO at Masabi. “The new platform gives First Bus the resilience and flexibility it needs today, while creating a foundation for the next generation of joined-up, innovative digital travel experiences. We’re delighted to be working with the First Bus team on their customer growth journey.”