New York City's MTA plans to debut smartphone-based transit payments by mid-2018
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York issued a public bid on Wednesday, asking for proposals for a new contactless ticketing system to replace the MetroCard, and potentially allow iPhone users to pay for public transit on their smartphone.
Starting in June, the MTA will begin accepting proposals for the "New Fare Payment System" that will succeed the MetroCard for both subway and bus operations. The authority's new system will rely on both smart cards and mobile devices, like Apple's iPhone.
The MTA hopes to have the new payment system begin rolling out by mid-2018, first debuting on the Select Bus Service, according to ABC 7. Completion of the project, however, isn't expected to occur until 2021.
Tap-to-pay technology is, of course, common for public transportation in other major cities, such as the tube in London, Charlie card in Boston, and the Clipper card in San Francisco. But New York City has relied on an antiquated swipe card system since 2003, when it replaced a token system.
Of the world's 10 busiest metro systems, only New York City and Mexico City have yet to implement contactless fare cards.
Apple's latest mobile devices, including the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE, feature NFC support for Apple Pay at retail. The company is also a member of the NFC Forum, which is working to bring contactless payments to U.S. public transit, potentially signaling that Apple Pay could be opened up to support the likes of the new system the MTA plans to implement.
While Apple has not yet opened up NFC in the iPhone and Apple Watch to third-party developers, the company is said to have quietly shown interest in enabling features like transit payments and secure building access. It's possible that those capabilities could be introduced in a future version of iOS.
Starting in June, the MTA will begin accepting proposals for the "New Fare Payment System" that will succeed the MetroCard for both subway and bus operations. The authority's new system will rely on both smart cards and mobile devices, like Apple's iPhone.
The MTA hopes to have the new payment system begin rolling out by mid-2018, first debuting on the Select Bus Service, according to ABC 7. Completion of the project, however, isn't expected to occur until 2021.
Tap-to-pay technology is, of course, common for public transportation in other major cities, such as the tube in London, Charlie card in Boston, and the Clipper card in San Francisco. But New York City has relied on an antiquated swipe card system since 2003, when it replaced a token system.
Of the world's 10 busiest metro systems, only New York City and Mexico City have yet to implement contactless fare cards.
Apple's latest mobile devices, including the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE, feature NFC support for Apple Pay at retail. The company is also a member of the NFC Forum, which is working to bring contactless payments to U.S. public transit, potentially signaling that Apple Pay could be opened up to support the likes of the new system the MTA plans to implement.
While Apple has not yet opened up NFC in the iPhone and Apple Watch to third-party developers, the company is said to have quietly shown interest in enabling features like transit payments and secure building access. It's possible that those capabilities could be introduced in a future version of iOS.
Comments
To through another US city out there... Philly still uses tokens and, honestly, hedging US currency in SEPTA tokens would not have been a bad idea! (yes, the tokens from decades ago, when they were 10 cents a piece, still work today)
When you buy a ticket or pay a fare, the system will automatically assign you a car number, based on your device.
I would like to be in a car with only Apple users, and Android users can also be in separate cars.
This would probably make for a more pleasant and enjoyable commute.
No special smartcard is required, even VISA MasterCard and Amex contactless cards issued outside the UK usually work.
Those who require season tickets, don't have a compatible contactless card or are charged foreign transaction fees for using their contactless card within London can still obtain an Oyster card and load it with credit accordingly.
The advantage of this system is that TfL (Transport for London) have the reduced cost of not having to issue so many Oyster smartcards.
https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/what-are-contactless-payment-cards?intcmp=8610
I figured it would have opened up wider once the second generation of iPhone's with NFC got released. Apple really needs to open up its use.
Sure allow ApplePay to use touchID for any value transaction while the phone is on, but we need a fall back when the battery dies.
Surely they could have the phones act like a regular card to allow transaction up to the local "tap and go" limits.
Nothing to do with Apple...it's up to vendors to implement, which they're doing rather slowly. I've lost track of how many stores I've been to that have NFC-enabled pos terminals and don't have Apple Pay enabled.
You already have a fall back...it's called the Apple Watch