It was reported that the Apple Pay Express Transit feature will soon be supported by the MTA in New York City. It has been officially confirmed today that commuters will be able to pay for their subway and bus trips with Apple Pay starting May 31st. This means that they will no longer have to purchase physical MetroCards for rides.
Apple CEO Tim Cook had previously confirmed that Apple Pay support would come to MTA’s subway and buses in “early summer.” The company has followed through on that timeline and confirmed today that commuters will be able to use the service to pay for their trips.
Before they can do that, they will need to ensure that their iPhone is running the latest software which is iOS 12.3 or version 5.2.1 for watchOS. A credit or debit card will also be required to be authenticated with the Express Transit feature. It’s that feature which will process payments for the subway and buses without requiring the user to open an app or even unlock their phone in order to pay at the turnstile.
Support for Apple Pay is part of MTA’s new fare payment system called OMNY. It will also support other mobile payment systems. Google has already confirmed OMNY support for Google Pay starting May 31st as well.
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