Metropolitan Transit System rolls out contactless payments

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has updated its PRONTO payment system to make fares easier to pay using contactless payments.

Now riders can pay fares with their bank cards (debit cards, credit cards, prepaid cards), and mobile wallets (e.g. Apple Pay, Google pay, etc.).

MTS introduced the PRONTO system several years ago. Riders need to first register on their phone then get a QR code, a multi step process that isn’t always convenient if you don’t ride often or are just visiting from out of town.

“They would have to download the PRONTO app and go through 150 touches of your screen before you’ve entered all your credit card information and you’re ready to just get on the trolley, or the train, or the bus,” explained Will Moore, Policy Counsel with Circulate San Diego.

He says Circulate San Diego and RideSD have advocated for years to shift to this easier payment.

“Now you can have your PRONTO app because you maybe take the trolley or bus a lot, and your buddy can just pop his card on and get on as if he’s buying a bag of chips,” said Moore.

“It’s a great solution for special events like Comic-Con, Padres games, concerts, so we want people to take advantage of it,” said Mark Olson, Director of Marketing & Communications with MTS. “It removes one of those extra hurdles that maybe somebody needs to go over to try transit.”

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