Contactless payments to replace New York subway MetroCard
New York is set to follow other world cities and introduce contactless payments to its transport network. The city's transport authorities have approved a $573m contract to implement the new payment network, replacing the existing MetroCard system of swipe cards. New electronic readers will be installed at subway stations and on buses, with customers able to use contactless bank cards as well as mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay. Similar systems already operate in other cities, including London and Tokyo.

It is no secret that contactless payments are starting to become a more popular option compared to using cash or other older methods of payments, such as swiping cards. In fact in several parts of the world, contactless payments have become more or less standard and ubiquitous.

That being said the good news for residents of New York City is that it looks like the city’s subway is expected to start adopting contactless payments on a wider scale, according to a report from the New York Times. A committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has recently approved a $573 million contract for a new fare payment system that will allow contactless payments, such as Apple Pay where users can make payment using their iPhones or Apple Watch.

These new electronic readers will be installed in 500 subway turnstiles and on 600 buses in New York beginning late next year, and is expected to eventually cover the city’s entire subway and bus system by late 2020. This will also eventually replace the current method of using the MetroCard which can be prone to swipe errors, and could also save users time from having to top up their cards when it runs low.

Like we said, this is not the first time contactless systems are being introduced to public transport. Over in cities like London and Tokyo, similar systems have already been put into place.

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