Metro riders have the opportunity to add a SmarTrip card to their iPhone or Apple Watch and pay for bus or train fares “touch-free” as of September 1.
Metro launched the alternative as a safer way for its customers to pay, as they do not need to touch card readers or vending machines.
All you need to do is hold your device near the card reader anywhere SmarTrip is accepted:
- All 91 Metrorail stations in DC, Maryland and Virginia
- All Metro parking garages and lots
- All Metrobus routes
- All regional bus providers, including ART, DASH, Fairfax Connector, Cue, Ride On, TheBus, Circulator, Loudoun County Transit, and OmniRide.
“We are excited to deliver a new level of convenience and simplicity for our customers. If you have an iPhone or Apple Watch, you already have everything you need to simply tap and go,” Metro General Manager/CEO Paul J. Wiedefeld was quoted as saying in a statement. “In every step in the customer journey, SmarTrip on iPhone and Apple Watch makes it simpler, easier, faster, safer… just better.”
It’s Tap and Go Time! SmarTrip is now available on iPhone and @Apple Watch, giving transit customers in the region a safer, faster, more convenient way to pay. https://t.co/AOtNzRrlWb #applepay #smartrip #wmata pic.twitter.com/VntjQWVLhU
— Metro (@wmata) September 1, 2020
“Residents in the Washington D.C. area who rely on SmarTrip now have a safer way to pay for their rides using just their iPhone or Apple Watch,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay. “By adding their SmarTrip cards to their Apple devices, riders can take advantage of this ‘tap and go’ experience and also be assured that their transaction information is secure and private.”
If you are using Express Transit, the SmarTrip card on your device will help you go quickly through stations and fare gates without using Face ID, Touch ID, or waking your device.
In order to add a SmarTrip card to an iPhone or Apple Watch, you can buy a new card in Apple Wallet, or transfer a physical SmarTrip/Senior SmarTrip card to your device.
The Apple Wallet on your device will be displaying your stored value balance, passes and “SmartBenefits.” You can also reload your card with Apple Pay without the need of a vending machine.