NYC subway riders will be able to tap in with a smartphone in lieu of MetroCard starting Friday at some stations
- The MTA will roll out its new ‘tap-and-go’ readers at select stations on Friday
- Riders enter using an iPhone, Android phone, smartwatch or contactless card
- To start, the readers are launching on the 4, 5 and 6 lines and Staten Island buses
New York City‘s subway system is about to get a major upgrade that could spell the end of swiping in with a MetroCard.
Starting on Friday, riders will be able to tap their smartphone, wearable and contactless credit or debit card to pay their fare.
Not everyone will be able to take advantage of the new system just yet, however, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is only launching the ‘tap-and-go’ readers on Staten Island Buses and 16 stations on the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines for now.
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NYC’s subway system is about to get a major upgrade. Starting on Friday, riders will be able to tap their smartphone, wearable and contactless credit or debit card to pay their fare
The MTA said the new contactless fare payment system, called One Metro New York (OMNY), should roll out to additional stations over time.
‘We will continue rolling out OMNY to all bus routes, subway stations, and Staten Island Railway locations,’ the MTA said.
‘Once this is complete, you will be able to tap and go throughout New York City.’
While it’s only launching at select stations to start, the MTA expects to roll out OMNY fully by 2020 and, up until 2023, riders can still enter the subway with swipe-based MetroCards.
Tap-and-go is also only available for single ride purchases, but the MTA said on its site that additional fare options will be added in the future, like unlimited, student or reduced fare passes.
Entering the subway is fairly easy. For iOS devices, users have to set up Apple Pay Express Transit, which first requires that they be updated to the latest software version, iOS 12.3 on iPhone or watchOS 5.2.1 on Apple Watch.
Once updated, users open Settings, then Wallet & Apple Pay, then Express Transit Card.
While it’s only launching at select stations to start, the MTA expects to roll out OMNY fully by 2020 and, up until 2023, riders can still enter the subway with swipe-based MetroCards
With the new contactless payment system, riders can pay to enter a bus or subway using a contactless card issued through their bank or a digital wallet app installed on a smart device
Users select which card they want to charge their fare to and their device will know to only charge that card in the future.
Then, users just hold their iPhone or Android phone near one of the contactless readers until it lights up green with the word ‘Go,’ then they can proceed.
The readers use near-field communication to communicate with contactless cards and smart devices.
OMNY works with several digital wallet platforms, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Fitbit Pay.
Contactless cards from American Express, Visa and Mastercard are also accepted by OMNY.
It should lead to a more painless experience for subway riders, as they’ll no longer have to wait to buy a MetroCard.
‘You don’t have to stand in line to buy a pass or ticket,’ Prakash Hariramani, director of Google Pay at Google, told Digital Trends.
‘If you just add it to your phone, you can just tap and go.’
HOW DOES APPLE PAY WORK?
Apple Pay is the firm’s mobile payment and virtual wallet service.
It allows customers to make payments using an iPhone, Watch, iPad or Mac.
It works alongside most banks and most major credit and debit cards providers including Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
To use the services, users must link their device, security details and bank card.
To do this, open Wallet, go to settings and find Wallet and Apple Pay in there.
Apple Pay is the Apple’s mobile payment and virtual wallet service. It allows customers to make payments using an iPhone, Watch, iPad or Mac
Here, you can add credit or debit cards.
Before it is activated, the device needs to be authenticated by the bank.
Each bank has different protocols, but their security measures will have to be passed before Apple Pay is fully verified.
After your card is verified, you can tap Next and start using Apple Pay.
Apple Pay requires the Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna and Touch ID or Face ID on iPhone 6 and later to work.
Once set up, you can hold your device near a contactless terminal to authorise a payment.
For most iPhones double pressing the home button will bring up the Apple Pay function, which will use your fingerprint to confirm the transaction.
On the iPhoneX, users must press the sleep/wake button twice to invoke Apple Pay.
