WMATA launches Tap. Ride. Go. contactless fare payments on Metrobus after success on Metrorail

Tap. Ride. Go. has officially gone online on Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority’s (WMATA) Metrobus after its launch on Metrorail earlier this year. Riders can now tap a contactless credit or debit card or use mobile wallet solutions like Apple Pay and Google Pay on bus farebox readers to pay for fares.

Metrobus is a fare-operated service with most routes costing passengers $2.25 and express buses costing $4.80. Riders can now receive a transfer discount between Metrorail and Metrobus by using the same payment method when transferring between the two services.

WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke, WMATA Board of Directors members, local officials and WMATA partners ushered in the new technology with a first tap on Metrobus at Franklin Square.  

“Tap. Ride. Go. reduces the barriers to transit and helps us fulfill our goal of making Metro the number one choice for travel in the region,” Clarke said. “Now all customers have to do is tap any card and ride the bus.” 

Since Tap. Ride. Go. launched for Metrorail in May, WMATA says that riders have used contactless payment for more than six million trips. Stations with high concentrations of tourist populations traveling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, Arlington Cemetery and Navy Yard-Ballpark are seeing the highest usage rates since the launch.

While Tap. Ride. Go. is enabled on both Metrorail and Metrobus, it is currently not being utilized by other local bus providers. WMATA customers are being encouraged by the agency to continue to use their SmarTrip card for other local bus providers and to register them online to access account information and trip history. 

What to know about Tap. Ride. Go. on Metrobus:

• Each rider needs their own contactless card or virtual card. The same card cannot be used for multiple people on the same trip. 
• Take a single card out to tap to the card reader. Do not tap a wallet with multiple cards or a physical wallet on the back of a phone with a virtual credit card as it may charge both cards. 
• Riders can visit the customer dashboard and enter a debit or credit card number to view Tap. Ride. Go. transactions or request a refund.  
• To transfer between bus and rail, use the same card on both the bus card reader and rail faregate. 
• Metrobus to Metrobus transfers offers free, unlimited transfers within a two-hour period if you use the same card. 
• Those riders who have fare discounts or SmartBenefits will still have to use their SmarTrip cards.  
• Multi-day passes are only available on SmarTrip. 
• Customers will also only be able to get their annual ridership statistics through Metro Rewind by using their SmarTrip card.

WMATA’s premier partners in launching Tap. Ride. Go. 

Tap. Ride. Go. was launched with help from contractors Littlepay and Cubic, who handled the software and fareboxes respectively. 

“The extension of Tap. Ride. Go. to Metrobus is another successful milestone, and we commend WMATA for their bold, agile approach to this implementation," said Littlepay CEO Amin Shayan. "By prioritizing a modular, 'tap and ride' experience on the bus, WMATA has rapidly delivered a tangible benefit to customers, just months after the Metrorail launch. This strategy minimizes risk and proves that transit agencies don't need multi-year, complex projects to deliver world-class payment innovation. We're proud that our open-architecture software has been a key component enabling this faster, smarter way to transform the rider experience.”

"We’re honored to help bring Tap. Ride. Go. to Metrobus riders across the region,” said Cubic Transportation Systems President Peter Montgomery-Torrellas. “Extending contactless payments to buses is another important step toward a fully unified fare experience that gives customers the same seamless simplicity no matter how they travel. Our partnership with WMATA continues to deliver on the promise of modern, intuitive and accessible mobility for every rider.”