Apple has expanded its Apple Pay transit feature to twelve major cities across the United States, enhancing the convenience for public transportation users. This feature allows riders to pay for their fares directly through their devices, streamlining the commuting experience.
Supported Cities
The cities that now support Apple Pay for transit include Atlanta, the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, DC. While some of these locations have offered this service for several years, Atlanta’s integration is new as of March 2026, with the launch of its MARTA contactless system.
How It Works
Users can utilize the Apple Wallet app to pay for their transit fares. By enabling Express Mode, iPhone and Apple Watch users can tap their devices at fare gates without needing to unlock their devices or authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID. To set this up, users can select their preferred transit card within the Wallet app’s settings.
Express Mode allows payments to be made automatically when a compatible credit or debit card is linked, even if the device is out of battery. This feature is supported on iPhone models from the iPhone 6s and 2016 iPhone SE onwards, as well as on the Apple Watch Series 1 and later, provided they have watchOS 5.2.1 or newer.
Transit Card Requirements and Fare Capping
Some cities require users to add specific transit cards to their Wallet app. For example, the Bay Area supports both the Clipper card and credit cards, while Chicago requires the Ventra card, Los Angeles uses the TAP card, and Portland employs the Hop card. Additionally, fare capping is available in certain areas, such as New York’s OMNY system, which caps subway and bus fares at $35 per week.
Apple Pay for transit is also functional in various international cities, including London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Toronto, Beijing, and Shanghai. This global compatibility allows travelers to use public transportation without the need for pre-purchased tickets.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
