SEPTA rolls out Apple Express for faster mobile phone payments for riders

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the last nine months, SEPTA riders have been able to pay their fare with Apple Pay, but have had to wake their phones up and open an app to make the transaction go through.

That ended on July 22, when SEPTA began rolling out Apple Express .

SEPTA Chief of Staff Liz Smith said the new function will let riders approach a turnstile or board a bus and hold their locked phone in one hand to pay.

"It allows you to just simply walk up, put your watch or your phone right near our validator, and it will automatically take that payment out in the same way that contactless does today," she said.

Riders will have to enable the Express Mode function in their phones first, and Smith said SEPTA Key users should keep their cards away from the validators to prevent double charges.

SEPTA said Apple Express will be available for bus, trolley and subway fares by Aug. 9. The feature is not yet available on Regional Rail.

In joining the Apple Express wave, Smith said Philadelphia joins other major transit systems accepting the payment method like New York City.

She also said that since SEPTA introduced contactless payments last year, 12% of riders are using apps or credit cards to pay for rides.