The regional Transit Access Pass (TAP) card is now available on iPhone and Apple Watch for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) passengers.
This new and safer way to pay transit fare allows L.A. Metro and 25 TAP transit agencies in L.A. County to offer easy, contactless bus and rail fare payment to riders.
With TAP card on iPhone and Apple Watch, riders hold their device near the TAP dial upon boarding a bus or train and fare is validated immediately. There’s no need to use Face ID, Touch ID or wake the device.
“We have to eliminate barriers between our transportation system and our essential workers, front line heroes, hard-hit households and Angelenos from every neighborhood, community and zip code. This is always important, but even more critical in this current crisis,” said Los Angeles Mayor and L.A. Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti. “The new mobile TAP app makes Metro one of the first transit agencies in the country to put the power to pay your fares in the palm of your hands — tapping into our city’s innovative spirit to bring greater safety, equity, sustainability and convenience to riders, drivers, transit operators and anyone riding our trains and buses.”
The launch helps makes public transit traveling easier and safer because riders can now buy fare and pay for their ride using just their iPhone or Apple Watch. Riders can also quickly add stored value directly from Apple Wallet or in the TAP mobile app with Apple Pay and riders no longer need to use or touch a TAP vending machine or purchase a TAP card from a vendor.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this new feature offers a great option for essential workers, honors social distancing with no bus operator interaction needed by the rider and works on all TAP participating agencies, whether riders board at the front or at rear doors,” said L.A. Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington.
“With TAP cards now available on iPhone and Apple Watch, those in Los Angeles using public transportation have a safe, secure and extremely convenient way to pay for their bus or train fare,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay. “By simply placing their Apple device near the TAP dial, Metro riders can quickly board and avoid touching vending machines — all while keeping their transaction information private.”
Riders can either add the card directly through Apple Wallet and load Stored Value or download the TAP mobile app for account management, regional trip planning and access to all passes, including L.A. Metro Bike Share. The TAP app also supports Reduced Fare, Low Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) and cash paying customers. And, riders can transfer an existing physical TAP card to their iPhone or Apple Watch via the TAP app.
L.A. Metro’s TAP program has been working with Apple and Cubic Transportation Systems, the agency’s fare payment solutions partner, to bring an innovative "first" for fare payment in Los Angeles.