Apple Pay for Transit: Now Accepted in Singapore, NYC Testing Soon, Chicago and Portland to Integrate Fare Cards

[alexandr]

naturally they are testing it on the line that i used for many years, but no longer do)

 

[squizzler]

Have had it for donkey years in London..

 

[goodcow]

"Apple Pay is launching or gaining expanded functionality New York City later this year."
about time - welcome to the 20/21th century - NY Subways are a mess and this could make your way around the city better

The current Metrocard system lets you swipe through the turnstile without even breaking your walking stride.

I have concerns that any phone based RFID system will also allow this speed.

 

[haruhiko]

You have a minute leeway from activating Apple Pay until it times out; so, by rights, no one should be fumbling around at the point of touching in/out to ride transit.

Samsung Pay have the option to set up a ‘transport card’ without the need to use biometric authorisation so I hope, in time, Apple follow suit.

Apple doesn't need to follow suit. It already has Apple Pay Transit Card feature in China and Japan long time ago.

 

[justperry]

I've said it before here just a few days ago, wish the EU would force Apple to open up NFC, that would mean you won't need ApplePay for Public transport for instance, just tap and go with your Public transportation App/card.

 

[sky87]

Excellent that it's now accepted in Singapore! Unfortunately all my cards appear to be Visa so I'm going to have to wait for them to add functionality for Visa Apple Pay before I can pay for my transit rides in Singapore using Apple Pay.

 

[mking12]

Guangzhou has accepted Apple Pay with credit card for years but not mentioned at the end.

 

[japanime]

No double-pressing required for Apple Pay in Japan. Just wave your iPhone or Apple Watch over the IC reader at the train station ticket gate or the grocery store checkout and you're done.

 

[frank99119]

I would hope you wouldn't need to authenticate to get it to work. Would be alot easier if you just hold phone to reader, phone realizes it's a subway terminal and loads that specific card, and boom you're in. I could see alot of people fumbling around getting the right pass up on their phones, standing there authenticating with FaceID, then scanning, and causing a backup. IMO the ticket wouldn't really need to be secured behind FaceID and should pop up automatically when presented at a subway terminal.

This is exactly how it works here in Shanghai. Every time I just wave my Apple Watch at the terminal without having to do anything else, just like magic.

 

[tenton]

No double-pressing required for Apple Pay in Japan. Just wave your iPhone or Apple Watch over the IC reader at the train station ticket gate or the grocery store checkout and you're done.

The article does mention the exception for China and Japan; Express transit. It's a game changer and makes me feel like I'm stuck in the past here in the US (or transported into the future when I'm over in Japan/China)

 

[imageWIS]

Now if only NYC could actually get the ***** trains to run on time... or at all.

 

[justperry]

London really needs Oyster card integration in Apple Wallet (for season passes).

The Netherlands has a Public Transport Card for the whole country, the EU should force Apple to open up NFC.

 

[alexandr]

Now if only NYC could actually get the ***** trains to run on time... or at all.

maybe apple pay will give the mta a jumpstart on a makeover...)

 

[justperry]

Welcome!

The USA can sometimes seem to be behind when it comes to embracing new tech. National standards are hard to develop and enforce, maybe because the individual states have to go along. On this subject, NYC was very late in introducing card entry. We used tokens until they were finally phased out on '03. I'm still faxing to and from my insurance company and most of my doctor's offices. It is frustrating.

Wow, really.

 

[tmiw]

I heard May for NYC, but not an exact date. I almost want to go there to try it out (also because last time I went was like six months after Sandy so some stuff was still closed).

 

[lunarworks]

Ive been a long time lerker here at Macrumors but never joined in. Signed up to ask this question;

Everytime there is a news article about Apple Pay expanding in the USA i dont understand whats happening. Here in the UK, everywhere accepts it and it seemed to happen overnight. I can literately use Apple Pay for any purchase at any store. The only thing that took a while was the abolishing of the £30 limit Why is the USA slow? Am I missing something?

The US has a few thousand individual regional banking institutions of varying size and importance. Most other developed nations tend to have a much smaller number of national banks.

 

[vixster1901]

I find Apple Pay a pain on the Xs. I find the home button much better for Apple Pay.. Can you imagine having to bend over for facial recognition while trying to catch the subway in NYC.. not a pretty picture.

 

[justperry]

you're overthinking it - almost every day there is some dumbass blocking a turnstile while trying to locate his/her metrocard. they will just be replaced by the dumbasses who fail to unlock their phone prior to reaching the turnstile.

You see this everywhere, for instance at a supermarket checkout, I already have my card in my hand to pay, lots of people only take it out when asked to pay, time lost.

 

[ipedro]

"that means double-pressing the home button or side button, authenticating with Touch ID or Face ID, and holding the iPhone near the card reader."

This takes too long. I know it seems fast, but I've been in NYC and ridden the subway quite a few times and it's a constant flow of people through the turnstiles, each person swiping their card through as they're walking.

If there's any kind of delay, like having to satisfy FaceID or wait for TouchID, it's going to slow things down and people will get pissed. Nevermind that TouchID doesn't work with gloves on and NYC has winter, and FaceID doesn't always read correctly.

If I were a New Yorker I wouldn't bother with using my phone and just get the Contactless MetroCard equivalent they're no doubt going to offer.

It’s instant. You don’t do this as you’re at the gate. Double click the side button as you’re walking towards the gate and look at your phone. It’s ready as you get there and tap.

 

[timborama]

Tokyo transit system doesn’t use Apple Pay last I checked. Uses Suica on iPhone, which uses the FeLiCa (NFC) chip. Apple Pay would be far to slow to allow the mass of transit users to pass efficiently. Suica/FeLiCa much much quicker, and has express mode (no need to authenticate each time). You can reload your Suica from Apple Pay, but author seems to be confusing the two.

 

[bakerzdosen]

I really hope this comes (back) to SLC. They said it was more difficult than they'd planned to maintain so they removed the Apple Pay option a few months back.

 

[justperry]

It’s instant. You don’t do this as you’re at the gate. Double click the side button as you’re walking towards the gate and look at your phone. It’s ready as you get there and tap.

Still "inconvenient" compared to a public transport card inside your phone, just tap and go, no need to authenticate.

 

[haruhiko]

Hong Kong is still stuck with the octopus card.

 

[justperry]

Tokyo transit system doesn’t use Apple Pay last I checked. Uses Suica on iPhone, which uses the FeLiCa (NFC) chip. Apple Pay would be far to slow to allow the mass of transit users to pass efficiently. Suica/FeLiCa much much quicker, and has express mode (no need to authenticate each time). You can reload your Suica from Apple Pay, but author seems to be confusing the two.

And this is the way it should be anywhere, without the need to authenticate, just tap and go.

 

[PalindromeB0B]

If Express Transit is not supported from Day 1, this will be a complete disaster in NYC. People will be murdered for slowing up the turnstiles.