Modeshift
Modeshift is a Boston-based software company that provides a cloud-based contactless fare collection and mobility platform for public transit agencies, serving roughly 60 agencies across the United States and Europe with account-based payments, mobile ticketing, and operations modules.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Modeshift does
Modeshift (ModeShift, Inc.) is a Boston-headquartered software company that provides a cloud-based, account-based fare collection and mobility platform for public transit agencies. The platform supports contactless open-loop EMV payments, closed-loop cards, mobile wallets, and QR-code tickets, along with adjacent transit operations modules including CAD/AVL (Computer-Aided Dispatch / Automatic Vehicle Location), real-time passenger information (RTPI), and analytics. As of 2025, the platform processed more than 71 million trips, served 4.13 million riders, and issued 10.8 million digital tickets across approximately 60 transit agencies in the United States and Europe.
The company's product portfolio includes branded mobile fare payment apps (e.g., Decatur Transit Pay, CamTran PAY, rabbitPAY), an On-Demand Public Transportation Platform (ODPTP) with machine-learning-based route optimization, and a carbon emissions dashboard. It maintains integrations with third-party trip planners such as Transit App and with hardware validators through a partnership with ITSMAX Solutions, and participates in the EU-funded INNOAIR smart-city project alongside Sofia Traffic in Bulgaria.
Modeshift operates a SaaS-plus-hardware business model, generating revenue from per-agency subscriptions, sale or lease of validators and farebox hardware, and professional services for integration and onboarding. It is a private, for-profit company employing 51-100 staff, with operations spanning North America and several European countries (Bulgaria, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, the United Kingdom). The company was founded in 2014 and is led by CEO Miroslav Katsarov.
Modeshift firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Modeshift
- Legal name
- ModeShift, Inc.
- Website
- https://www.modeshift.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Modeshift is a Boston-based software company that provides a cloud-based contactless fare collection and mobility platform for public transit agencies, serving roughly 60 agencies across the United States and Europe with account-based payments, mobile ticketing, and operations modules.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Modeshift industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Transit Fare Collection Software
- NAICS
- Mixed Mode Transit Systems (485111)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open-Loop EMV Contactless Fare Payments (THAIAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Integrated Ticketing & Fare Management (Capping, Passes, Validators) (THADALAC)
Keywords
Where Modeshift is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Modeshift business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Fare Collection Platform: Modeshift operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model, providing transit agencies with cloud-based contactless fare collection systems. The platform is sold as a recurring service with annual billing, offering fare collection infrastructure, mobile ticketing, and analytics capabilities.
- Hardware Sales (Fareboxes/Validators): Sale of validating farebox hardware through the partnership with ITSMAX Solutions for on-board fare validation equipment.
- Professional Services: Implementation and deployment services for transit agencies, including system integration, configuration, and ongoing support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise transit agency platform |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Modeshift product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Modeshift provides a cloud-based, account-based contactless fare collection SaaS platform for public transit agencies, integrating open-loop EMV payments, closed-loop smart cards, mobile ticketing, CAD/AVL, real-time passenger information, analytics, and validating farebox hardware. The platform supports fare capping, real-time data insights, and a carbon emissions dashboard, deployable as a 'One Device' solution claimed to be 5x faster than competitors. It also developed an on-demand public transportation platform (ODPTP) using machine learning for the EU-funded INNOAIR project.
Product overview
Modeshift offers a comprehensive 360-degree cloud-based contactless fare collection platform designed for transit agencies. The platform operates as a modular architecture consisting of core products including the 'One Device' fare collection platform (deploying 5x faster than competitors), account-based fare collection system, and integrated modules such as contactless EMV/open-loop payments (supporting Apple Pay, Google Pay, and contactless bank cards), mobile ticketing app, CAD/AVL fleet management, RTPI (real-time passenger information), validating fareboxes, analytics dashboard, and carbon emissions dashboard. The platform also includes specialized capabilities like fare capping (automatically capping charges at monthly pass costs), paid transfers, and driver-dispatcher communication. Additionally, Modeshift developed an On-Demand Public Transportation Platform (ODPTP) for the InnoAir project featuring demand-responsive routing powered by machine learning. The system is marketed as a complete, ready-to-use transit solution with emphasis on faster deployment, open and closed loop payment support, and real-time data insights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 360-Degree Fare Collection Platform Comprehensive cloud-based contactless fare collection platform integrating fare payment, mobile ticketing, smart cards, QR code validation, account-based fare capping, CAD/AVL, RTPI, and real-time analytics for transit agencies.
- Validators / Fareboxes Hardware devices for on-board fare validation that accept contactless payments, QR codes, and smart card validation, deployed through the partnership with ITSMAX Solutions.
- On-Demand Public Transportation Platform (ODPTP) Demand-responsive transportation platform that creates dynamic route patterns based on real-time rider demand using machine learning and multi-factor time series analysis to optimize routes for efficiency and environmental impact, developed for the INNOAIR project in Sofia.
Quantifiable outcome
- 71 million trips enabled in 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Modeshift
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Modeshift technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
Modeshift partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- ITSMAX SolutionscorePartnership to launch validating fareboxes, advancing Modeshift's fully-integrated 360-degree fare collection system. Initial deployments underway with two U.S. transit agencies, full go-live expected in 2026.
- NEORidecoreNEORide partnership cited as example of shared fare-payments-as-a-service platform that consolidates multiple transit operators under a unified regional system in the U.S.
- European Regional Development Fund / Urban Innovative ActionsmajorINNOAIR project co-financed by European Regional Development Fund through Urban Innovative Actions Initiative. Total ERDF budget: €3,712,553.52. Project focuses on on-demand green public transportation in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Sofia TrafficcorePartnership with Sofia Traffic for integration with existing urban mobility systems and MaaS platforms for the INNOAIR on-demand transportation project.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Modeshift competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cubic Transportation Systems: A long-standing global incumbent in transit fare collection (NextBus, NextAgent, open-loop payments) and one of the largest players Modeshift competes against for mid- and large-sized transit agency contracts in North America and Europe.
- Genfare: Established U.S. manufacturer of fareboxes, validators and fare-collection hardware/software suites sold to transit agencies; competes head-to-head against Modeshift's validating farebox and account-based platform offerings.
- Conduent Transportation: Large diversified services and solutions provider offering electronic fare collection, transit payment systems and mobility solutions to public transit agencies across the U.S. and Europe.
- INIT (Innovations in Transportation): European-based provider of integrated transit technology including CAD/AVL, fare collection, account-based ticketing and RTPI — overlapping closely with multiple Modeshift product modules including the CAD/AVL and validating farebox stack.
- Visa Transit (Open Loop Payments): Through its Transit partner program, Visa enables open-loop contactless EMV fare payments across global transit agencies — effectively a partner/competitor in the open-loop payment layer that underpins Modeshift's cEMV module.
Direct peers
- Masabi: Provider of Justride, an account-based mobile ticketing and open-loop fare payment platform used by transit agencies worldwide. Direct competitor in the same SaaS fare-collection category Modeshift sells into.
- Littlepay: Open-loop contactless fare payment platform purpose-built for transit agencies and operators of all sizes; competes with Modeshift specifically in the open-loop EMV account-based fare collection category.
Emerging players
- Swiftly: Cloud platform providing transit agencies with real-time passenger information, operational analytics, and CAD/AVL data. Adjacent competitor for the analytics/RTPI modules within Modeshift's integrated suite.
- Optibus: AI-driven transit operations platform for vehicle and crew scheduling, with an emerging presence in demand-responsive transit — overlapping with Modeshift's On-Demand Public Transportation Platform (ODPTP) work in the INNOAIR project.
- Token Transit: Mobile ticketing and fare payment app provider serving small and mid-sized U.S. transit agencies — a comparable competitor for Modeshift's small/mid-market SaaS fare collection segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Modeshift social profiles
Digital presenceModeshift financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Modeshift leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Modeshift funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Modeshift M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Modeshift
What does Modeshift do?
Modeshift provides a cloud-based, account-based contactless fare collection SaaS platform for public transit agencies, integrating open-loop EMV payments, closed-loop smart cards, mobile ticketing, CAD/AVL, real-time passenger information, analytics, and validating farebox hardware. The platform supports fare capping, real-time data insights, and a carbon emissions dashboard, deployable as a 'One Device' solution claimed to be 5x faster than competitors. It also developed an on-demand public transportation platform (ODPTP) using machine learning for the EU-funded INNOAIR project.
Is Modeshift a public or private company?
Modeshift is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Modeshift founded?
Modeshift was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Modeshift based?
Modeshift is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Modeshift make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Fare Collection Platform is the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales (Fareboxes/Validators) and professional Services.
Who are Modeshift's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cubic Transportation Systems, Genfare, Conduent Transportation, INIT (Innovations in Transportation) and Visa Transit (Open Loop Payments). Direct peers are Masabi and Littlepay. Emerging players are Swiftly, Optibus and Token Transit.
Does Modeshift have an API?
No public API is recorded for Modeshift.
What industry is Modeshift in?
Modeshift's product category is Public Transit Fare Collection Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAIAMAD, Open-Loop EMV Contactless Fare Payments, with a secondary code of THADALAC, Integrated Ticketing & Fare Management (Capping, Passes, Validators). Its NAICS code is 485111 and its SIC code is 4700.