On March 30, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and the North County Transit District (NCTD) rolled out a new app called Compass Cloud, which can be used with both transit systems. Compass Cloud is free to download on any smartphone and allows riders to purchase tickets much easier. You can purchase daily or monthly tickets for the MTS Rapid, MTS bus, MTS Trolley, NCTD Coaster, Sprinter, and Breeze; prices for tickets purchased via Compass Cloud will be remain the same as physical tickets. A convenient feature of the app is the option to buy tickets anytime, anywhere. Moreover, you can purchase multiple tickets at once and digitally store them, with the ability to easily bring them up on your screen later. It also allows you to use multiple tickets at once, so riders with families or friends can all hop on at once with a quick show of your phone screen. This greatly reduces the time it takes for passengers to load up the bus and dispels the worries of missing a bus because you are still trying to buy a ticket. Another inherent feature of this app is security. MTS and NCTD have been criticized for security flaws on the physical Compass Cards, which do not meet payment card industry standards, leaving riders vulnerable to credit card fraud. Compass Cards will not be gone with the rollout of Compass Cloud, but riders now have the option to use a safer alternative. Currently, the app is lacking some key features; only day passes and monthly passes for adults are available. However, this is only the first of several phases of releases. More features and improvements are in store, such as the ability the buy one-way tickets and discounted fares. According to MTS, a survey showed the 85 percent of riders have smartphone devices and two-thirds of them would use a mobile ticketing option. Hundreds have already installed Compass Cloud since the rollout and the app is expected to be widely successful.