Apple Pay Comes to New York City's MTA Transit This Friday

[MacRumors]

Apple Pay is coming to New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on May 31, reports TechCrunch. The rollout means people will be able to use Apple Pay with the new tap-to-pay fare system on the buses in Staten Island and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Image via TechCrunch​

To use Apple Pay on the MTA transit, you'll need an iPhone 6s or SE or later, and have the latest version of iOS (12.3) and watchOS (5.2.1) installed. After you've registered a credit or debit card, you can then take advantage of the new Express Transit NFC feature, which allows you to tap your iPhone or Apple Watch against the fare reader to pay and go.

The system is currently limited to single-ride passes, so users of daily, weekly, or monthly passes aren't able to use Apple Pay yet. However, additional fare options are due to introduced by late 2020, when the MTA expects to have rolled out Apple Pay on all subway lines and buses, according to TechCrunch.

Article Link: Apple Pay Comes to New York City's MTA Transit This Friday

 

[fokmik]

YEAH BABY, YEAH

 

[ColBatGuano]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

 

[Optheduim]

So excited for this!

 

[sinsin07]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

Ridiculous.
This is waving:

People use their phones in public all the time, sometimes while crossing the street.

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

Most likely the same amount that lose it flying simply to check an app or make a phone call.

 

[AndyDiamond]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

literally everyone walks through the turnstiles with their phone in their hand.

 

[demodave]

Apple Pay is coming to New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on May 31, reports TechCrunch. The rollout means people will be able to use Apple Pay with the new tap-to-pay fare system on the buses in Staten Island and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

[snip]

The system is currently limited to single-ride passes, so users of daily, weekly, or monthly passes aren't able to use Apple Pay yet. However, additional fare options are due to introduced by late 2020, when the MTA expects to have rolled out Apple Pay on all subway lines and buses, according to TechCrunch.

Article Link: Apple Pay Comes to New York City's MTA Transit This Friday

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

 

[ColBatGuano]

Ridiculous.
People use their phones in public all the time, sometimes while crossing the street.

Most likely the same amount that lose it flying simply to check an app or make a phone call.

literally everyone walks through the turnstiles with their phone in their hand.

The action of touching on/off (is that the right way to describe it?) is different from just holding it to your head though.
Anyway time will tell...

 

[AndyDiamond]

"...people will be able to use Apple Pay with the new tap-to-pay fare system on the buses in Staten Island and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn."

This should be clarified more - seems like you don't specially need to be RIDING the 4, 5 or 6 train. Anywhere there is ACCESS to the 4, 5 & 6 lines that has the reader you can use your phone to pay and ride any line that happens to be at that station.
[doublepost=1559129636][/doublepost]

The action of touching on/off (is that the right way to describe it?) is different from just holding it to your head though.
Anyway time will tell...

Paying with ApplePay is a natural action once you've used it a few times. Easier if you have Face ID
I will look forward to this for when I need a single ride and my card has run out (ands in the future when I can load up a card). It'll also be great on the bus!

 

[I7guy]

Whoda thought the MTA could get out of its own way.

 

[AndyDiamond]

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

they had Apple Pay in London in 2003?

 

[sinsin07]

"...people will be able to use Apple Pay with the new tap-to-pay fare system on the buses in Staten Island and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn."

This should be clarified more - seems like you don't specially need to be RIDING the 4, 5 or 6 train. Anywhere there is ACCESS to the 4, 5 & 6 lines that has the reader you can use your phone to pay and ride any line that happens to be at that station.

Not clear what your're getting at.
If you enter the 4,5 or 6 line north of Grand Central or south east of Barclays, it reads to me that there will be no tap-to-pay readers.
For example the 4, 5 and 6 lines have terminals ending in the Bronx (and Brooklyn).
So for example if you enter the transit system in the Bronx (or south east of Barclays in Brooklyn) sounds like you still need a Metrocard.
[doublepost=1559130259][/doublepost]

Congratulations, NewYork City!

Welcome to London in 2003!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card

I read this as:

2003: Osyter Card similar to Metro card:
A standard Oyster card is a blue credit-card-sized stored-value contactless smartcard that can hold single tickets, period tickets and travel permits, which must be added to the card before travel. Passengers touch it on an electronic reader when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds. Cards may be "topped-up" by recurring payment authority, by online purchase, at credit card terminals or by cash, the last two methods at stations or ticket offices
2014: Ostyer card simlar to Apple Pay?:
Since 2014, the use of Oyster cards has been supplemented by contactless credit and debit cards as part of TfL's "Future Ticketing Programme".

Perhaps you could explain further your 2003 reference.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

The article says you need a 6S or newer... the 6 and 6+ also had NFC/Apple Pay, though. Are they not sufficient for it? Is there something extra special that is needed that was added to the 6S?

Also, far more often than my iPhone, I use Apple Pay from my Apple Watch. Will I be able to use that? The article doesn’t mention Apple Watches working at all...

 

[RomanEmpire]

Maybe a New Yorker can answer this: in order to use this feature, do I Need to set up an account with MTA first and back it up with a debit/credit card or do I just use any card I have stored with Apple Pay?

 

[Grayburn]

Do people find waving their phones around in a public place like this safe?

I've wondered how many people will accidentally lose their grip on it and send it flying...

Safe enough here, just be wary of your surroundings.

Never seen any flying phones in London, and its never happened to me...although I use my watch now instead.

Will make use of this when I'm in NY in November.

 

[sinsin07]

snip...Also, far more often than my iPhone, I use Apple Pay from my Apple Watch. Will I be able to use that? The article doesn’t mention Apple Watches working at all...

A search lead to this (The Verge 5-29-19):
"At a demonstration May 21st during the morning rush at Grand Central Station, an Apple employee used her iPhone and then Apple Watch to pay for a ride on the subway."

 

[Rocketman]

Perfect! You can get onto the worst transportation system in the world in a frictionless fashion!

 

[Ted13]

The article says you need a 6S or newer... the 6 and 6+ also had NFC/Apple Pay, though. Are they not sufficient for it? Is there something extra special that is needed that was added to the 6S?

Also, far more often than my iPhone, I use Apple Pay from my Apple Watch. Will I be able to use that? The article doesn’t mention Apple Watches working at all...

Obviously the Apple Watch will work - bad article. I only ever use Apple Pay from my watch - the iPhone stays in my pocket.

The main problem is that it will not support the 30-day unlimited MetroCard version of the fare, which most NYers use, until they have installed the devices on every single subway station in all 5 boroughs, as well as all MTA buses

 

[Galve2000]

I wonder what's going to happen to the 5% bonus you get when toping up your metro card. it would obviously be a shame to lose this.

 

[Ted13]

"...people will be able to use Apple Pay with the new tap-to-pay fare system on the buses in Staten Island and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn."

This should be clarified more - seems like you don't specially need to be RIDING the 4, 5 or 6 train. Anywhere there is ACCESS to the 4, 5 & 6 lines that has the reader you can use your phone to pay and ride any line that happens to be at that station.

That too is incorrect - it has nothing do to with riding the 4, 5, & 6 lines specifically - you could be taking the 7 or S at Grand Central, the L, N, Q, R or W at Union Square or practically every subway line under the sun at Atlantic

 

[eatrains]

Grand Central Terminal*

 

[martyjmclean]

Laughs in London and the entire state of NSW.

 

[demodave]

they had Apple Pay in London in 2003?

“The new OMNY fare [contactless, card driven] payment system, to be designed by San Diego-based Cubic Transportation Systems, will be implemented in phases from 2019 to 2023.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMNY

Looks like the first real effort, outside of “a few trial runs” is nearly 20 years behind London. This is a sad staton how the USA views public transit (and possibly even applications of technology in the public interest) compared to Europe and in this case the UK.

 

[sinsin07]

Maybe a New Yorker can answer this: in order to use this feature, do I Need to set up an account with MTA first and back it up with a debit/credit card or do I just use any card I have stored with Apple Pay?

From internet (The Verge):
"People who want to use Apple Pay to ride the MTA will need to download the latest version of iOS (12.3) and watchOS (5.2.1), and then authenticate a credit or debit card to use with a new feature called Express Transit. After that, you won’t need to open an app or unlock your phone to use it with the MTA."

 

[Rocketman]

\

Looks like the first real effort, outside of “a few trial runs” is nearly 20 years behind London. This is a sad staton how the USA views public transit (and possibly even applications of technology in the public interest) compared to Europe and in this case the UK.

I went to London and made a point to use only public transportation. I live in socal and have tried to use transit here. The difference was astounding. From simplicity of paying fares, to conditions on the systems, and the the class of people using it, was stark.