B-Line transit authentication changes

14%

Status

In Process [In Process]

14% complete, updated on Thu 6/25/26 11:01 AM by Darin Wilt

Changed Percent Complete from 12% to 14%.

B-Line Project Update

Current Status

  • On June 22, the project team met with the Token Transit representative to review the timeline and procedures for transferring eligible rider files to the Token Transit platform.

  • On June 24, a project update was sent to stakeholders requesting input on several key business decisions required to move implementation forward.

  • The project is currently waiting for stakeholder responses before proceeding with the next implementation activities.

Key Highlights / Steps Completed

  • Completed a coordination meeting with Token Transit to align on the process for transferring eligible rider data.

  • Engaged stakeholders to obtain decisions on key implementation items, including:

    • Eligible Rider Population: Confirmation of which user groups should be included on the eligible rider list (e.g., undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, visiting scholars, volunteers, and other affiliates).

    • Reporting Requirements: Determination of whether aggregate ridership metrics (total riders and rides) are sufficient, or if reporting must distinguish between rider types (students, faculty, staff, etc.). Token Transit advised that separate enrollment portals can be created if rider-type reporting is required, which would require IT to provide separate eligibility files.

    • Student Data Timing: Identification of the optimal timing for loading student eligibility data from Account Center into Token Transit.

Risks, Issues, & Leadership Considerations

  • The project is currently dependent on stakeholder decisions regarding rider eligibility, reporting requirements, and student data synchronization.

  • If rider-type reporting is required, additional configuration and operational processes will be needed to maintain separate eligibility lists for students and employees, which could impact the implementation timeline.

Estimated Timeline / Next Major Milestones

  • Receive stakeholder responses and finalize the outstanding business decisions. Place the decisions in the Issues Log in Team Dynamix

  • Confirm the eligible rider file structure and reporting approach.

  • Coordinate with IT and Token Transit to begin transferring eligible rider files and proceed with implementation.

Details

Dates
Fri 5/29/26 - Thu 7/23/26
Acct/Dept
Enterprise Applications
Service
Project and Change Management Office / DoIT Project Submission
Type
Strategic Projects / Division of IT Project
Health
Green - On track
Classification
Small/Medium (20-230 Hours)
Created
Thu 5/28/26 4:51 PM
Modified
Thu 6/25/26 11:01 AM

Project Details

Department Head Support
Did you discuss this request with your department head and receive approval for submission?
Yes
Department Head Name
Select the staff member that approved this project request.
Executive Sponsor Support
Do you have the support of your Executive sponsor who will be funding the project?
Yes
Executive Sponsor Division
The executive sponsor's campus division. Campuswide is used for projects that have multiple executive sponsors or are initiated by cabinet.
Associated Students
Project Purpose
What organizational need are you looking to address?
Provide students, faculty, and staff with the continued benefit of using the B-Line transportation free of charge. To keep pace with Butte Regional Transit's change to their payment system, Chico State will move to an electronic version of bus passes called Token Transit. Chico State will work with Token Transit to integrate their service and app with the Chico State Mobile App.
Success Criteria/Requirements
What constitutes project success (e.g. requirements, key goals, features, functions, capabilities, etc.)?
Develop a branded portal (provided by Token Transit) which will allow users to self-provision "semester passes" (sample: https://tokentransittest.com/buttecounty/csuchi...
We need to keep in mind that students are not the only Chico State affiliates that can ride the bus. Staff, faculty, and auxiliary employees are also in scope, so we need to make sure the verbiage on the Token Transit portal is consistent with that.
Will these be for a specific time period (e.g., 6 months from the date of issuance) or good until a specific date (e.g, all passes provisioned during the fall semester expire on Jan 31)? The mock-up looks like specific dates (e.g., July 1 to Jan 20th), but not sure if that's the only option? Since employees are also in scope, semester dates may not be the best option.
Can a pass be "overwritten" by a new one before it expires to prevent any impact to an ongoing user?
What is the process for a brand-new student to get a Token Transit account and provision a new pass (from start to finish)?
An authorized riders list (Google Sheet?) updated daily via Boomi and used by Token Transit to approve or deny requests via the portal
Can we provide a .csv file, or does it have to be an edit of an existing Google Sheet?
What data elements are needed for this file? The sample file is only email address… is this sufficient?
We need to embed the branded portal in the Chico State app
It looks mobile friendly, but this needs to be tested
We need to embed the Plan Your Ride website in the Chico State app
This is mobile friendly, but also needs to be tested
We need to be able to launch the Token Transit app from the Chico State app
We need the Token Transit app’s deep link configuration: a URL scheme / Universal Link on iOS, and an Intent Filter / App Link on Android. This will require a re-publish of the Chico State app to take effect (I think).
We need to update KB articles
We need to create a communications plan for summer riders and another communication push for returning fall riders (Must have)
Email past riders, if we have that information (nice to have)
Project Urgency
Indicate if there is a mandate or requirement driving this request.
Required to keep a campus system running properly
Hard Deadline
If there is a hard deadline, please indicate the date below.
06/30/2026
Deadline Reason
Describe the business requirement or reason for the project deadline.
B-Line plans on being completely transitioned to the new fareboxes by June 30, 2026, but I believe we could keep the transition workaround in place until we are done.

Project Resources & Effort

DoIT Departments Involved
Any Division of IT departments that will be involved in this project.
EAPP (Enterprise Applications)
ITSS (Information Technology Support Services)
PCMO (Project and Change Management Office)
TEIN (Technology Equity and Inclusion)

Description

Chico State students and employees currently receive free bus rides through an agreement between the campus, Associated Students, and B-Line. This long-standing program supports campus sustainability goals and helps ease parking constraints. Today, Chico State riders authenticate using the magstripe on their campus ID cards. However, B-Line is moving to new fareboxes this summer that will no longer include magstripe readers. This transition has already begun, and the B-Line buses have implemented a temporary workaround where the drivers of buses that are equipped with the new fareboxes (without magstripe readers) are scanning a special QR code for people who present a Chico State ID card.

B-Line's new fare technology will primarily use an app called Token Transit, where riders present custom QR-code passes that are generated by the app. Because the Token Transit QR codes and farebox decoding are proprietary, Chico State cannot simply add our own QR code to campus ID cards. We need to implement a new authentication method for Chico State riders.

We have discussed several possible approaches and have determined that the best approach is to use a Token Transit web portal (with Chico State branding). This site will allow authorized Chico State riders to provision themselves a free bus pass in the Token Transit app. These bus passes will be "semester passes" (specific dates and details still to be determined), so this should not be an onerous burden for our employees and students. We should be able to embed this page in our Chico State app and also provide a button to launch the Token Transit app (or take the user to the appropriate app store to download the app if they don't have it).

I'm hopeful that this will not be that big a project technically, but it will require some change management expertise and a solid communication plan, both for a summer pilot/soft launch and for when the students come back this fall. That's why I didn't choose the "operational project" option, but I am glad to talk through it.

Here is my best guess at the stakeholders and resources that need to be included. Stakeholders (informed and consulted): Chico State Jesse Horgan - Parking Services Manager Jillian Leach - Energy and Sustainability Analyst Kelli Trnka - Wildcat Card Office in ITSS Jon Simmons - Interim Executive Director for Associate Students Jessica Westbay - Director, Procurement and Contract Services Tricia Douthit, Senior Director of Institutional Research & Strategic Analytics (reporting needs) BCAG Amy White - Transportation Analyst Resources (required to complete the project): Chico State Jennifer Griffiths - Mobile App Developer Jim Nelson - Integrations Team lead (or designee) Doug Wilson - Institutional Research & Strategic Analytics (reporting needs) Shannon Roskosky - Director, Project & Change Management Office (or designee) BCAG Victoria Proctor - Transportation Analyst Token Transit Tamara Lima - Token Transit

Manager

Sponsor

Stakeholders (6)

JH
Jesse Horgan
Consulted
They are the Parking Services Manager
Tue 6/2/26 10:18 AM
JW
Jessica Westbay
Consulted, Informed
Director of procurement and contract services; needs to understand any changes to the agreement between BCAG and Chico State.
Tue 6/2/26 10:40 AM
JL
Jillian Leach
Consulted, Informed
Consulted for the Energy and Sustainability aspect of utilizing the public transportation
Tue 6/2/26 10:20 AM
JS
Jon Simmons
Consulted, Informed
Interim director for Associated Students. How does this change affect the students getting to campus, and how does it affect the budget?
Tue 6/2/26 10:39 AM
KT
Kelli Trnka
Staff
Consulted, Informed
ITSS Wildcat ID card office lead
Tue 6/2/26 10:29 AM
TD
Tricia Douthit
Consulted, Informed
Sr Director, IRSA.
Tue 6/2/26 10:29 AM