Apple Pay With Express Transit Mode Goes Live for D.C. Metro Riders

Tuesday September 1, 2020 3:18 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple Pay with Express Transit mode today appears to have gone live for the Washington Metro.

MacRumors reader Errin submitted screenshots showing the SmarTrip fare card ready for public transport use in the Wallet app on iPhone. Several Twitter users have also shared news of the card appearing in the Wallet app for them, too.

Apple Pay SmarTrip is live in Wallet. Add virtual or transfer plastic cards pic.twitter.com/C4aofLn4jH — Ata Distance (@Kanjo) September 1, 2020

Riders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area should now be able to add their reloadable SmarTrip fare card to the Wallet app, and simply hold their ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch near a contactless payment reader at Metrorail stations or on Metrobus buses to pay their fare.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced in December 2019 that ‌Apple Pay‌ with Express Transit would be coming to the Washington Metro this year.

Express Transit mode allows for tap-and-go payment, eliminating the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. The device does not need to be waked or unlocked, either.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

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Top Rated Comments

incoherent_1

36 months ago

while nyc still hasn't fully rolled out...

Don’t worry, WMATA still hasn’t rolled out 19th century features like “being on time” or “not catching on fire” so NYC still has the lead...

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

tny

Have any Feds tried this yet? Do you have to use Apple Pay as the funding source for your SmartTrip card? What if you get a stipend from work for commuting, does that still work if you add it to your Wallet?

A friend just added his, and it shows stored value and smart benefits as separate balances, right in the Wallet

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Canyonero

Still waiting on Chicago which was announced forever ago. Looking at our Ventra app that still hasn’t been updated to support the X/11 displays, I don’t have high hopes though.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Jon20001