Apple Pay is continuing to roll out across the New York City transport system.
NYC’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed yesterday (December 11) that it was expanding its OMNY payment system, supporting contactless cards and now mobile payment methods including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay for the first time.
From today, travelers at Penn Station will be able to use their Apple Pay-enabled devices at 18 turnstiles on the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 lines, one of the busiest transit hubs in North America.
“The subway customers at the complex include many LIRR, NJ Transit, and Amtrak commuters and travelers arriving at Penn Station,” said an MTA spokesperson of the news.
New York’s OMNY system is reportedly seeing “better than expected” adoption, and by the end of December, the MTA says that all buses on Staten Island, as well as two Staten Island rail stations and 85 subway stations, will be able to support Apple Pay for the first time.
What’s more, the new readers also support Express Transit Mode via Apple Pay, meaning users are able to complete their transactions without having to use Touch ID or Face ID.
Once activated in Settings, iPhones and Apple Watches can be tapped to get onto the network, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will take a payment for the journey.
It’s important to note, however, that the current implementation of Apple Pay through the OMNY platform is not perfect; it’s currently only available to purchase full-fare, pay-per-ride journies, and does not support unlimited ride passes or discounted tiers at this time.
However, the company has said that it will roll out the remaining fare options at the start of 2020.
Are you looking forward to traveling on the NYC transport network with Apple Pay? Let us know your thoughts on this via Twitter and check back soon for more Apple news.
