iPhone-using bus and subway riders in new York City will be glad to hear that The Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York issued a public bid on Wednesday, asking for proposals for a new contactless ticket system to replace their MetroCard ticketing system.
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.
Target timeframe for the rollout of the new system is mid-2018, and will first debut on the Select Bus Service, (via ABC 7). The entire project isn’t expected to be in place until 2021.
New York City trails behind metropolitan area in revamping their transportation ticketing system. A number of other major cities, including London, Boston, and San Francisco already have tap-to-pay technology in place. New York City and Mexico City are the only cities in the top 10 busiest metropolitan systems that haven’t already upgraded their systems.
Once the New York City system is in place, owners of newer iPhones and the Apple Watch will be able to pay for their MTA transit needs via Apple Pay.
