Metro has launched its SmarTrip fare card on select Apple devices for touch-free payment, the first of its kind in North America, the agency announced Tuesday.
SmarTrip customers with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch will be able to ride without trouble by pairing their cards to Apple Wallet and holding their gadgets near a card reader at places where physical cards are accepted such as fare gates in stations, buses and parking lots.
“If you have an iPhone or Apple Watch, you already have everything you need to simply tap and go,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said in a news release announcing the launch. “In every step in the customer journey, SmarTrip on iPhone and Apple Watch makes it simply easier, faster, safer … just better.”
Metro has also introduced a new SmarTrip app to complement Apple Wallet, where riders will be able to view card balances, reload balances, set up Auto Reload, purchase passes and manage SmartBenefits from their employer.
SmarTrip is now available on iPhone 8 and later, as well as on Apple Watch Series 3 and later, Metro said.