Apple Pay for public transport now works in these 12 US cities
Several major US cities support Apple’s “Apple Pay for Public Transit,” providing an easy way for public transit users to pay for their rides. Apple Pay for Public Transit works in Atlanta, the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Some of these cities have supported Apple Pay for public transit for several years, while support in other cities, such as Atlanta, has only been available since 2026. Atlanta introduced its contactless tap-to-pay system, MARTA, in March 2026, allowing users to pay for their fares at station ticket kiosks using the Wallet app on their iPhone or Apple Watch.
Apple Pay payment via ExpressCard
Cities that support Apple Pay for public transit allow iPhone users to activate Express Mode to pay for tickets without unlocking their device or authenticating with Face ID or Touch ID. The corresponding card can be selected in Settings under “Wallet” and “Apple Pay.” There, tap “Express Card.”
If a credit or debit card is linked to Express Mode, it can be used to automatically pay for tickets and other public transportation without authentication. On iPhone models with Low Power Mode, tickets and other public transportation can also be paid for even when the iPhone’s battery is dead. Low Power Mode remains active for up to five hours after the iPhone is completely powered off and is available on iPhone XS and later.
Some cities allow you to add a credit or debit card to your public transit wallet app, while others require a special ticket. In the San Francisco Bay Area, you can use the Clipper app or a credit card. In Chicago, only the Ventra card is available, in Los Angeles the TAP card, and in Portland the Hop card.
In some places there is also a fare cap. On the New York OMNY system, for example, fares for subways and buses are capped at $35 per week. As long as the same device is used for each contactless payment, rides exceeding the $35 limit are free for the rest of the week. The TAP system in Los Angeles and the Wave system in Orange County also support a fare cap for Apple Pay.
Starting with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone SE (from 2016 onwards), all Apple phones support express mode with Apple Pay for use on public transportation. Express mode also works on Apple Watch Series 1 and later models, provided watchOS 5.2.1 or later is installed.
Tap-to-Pay on the iPhone also works for public transport in several cities worldwide, including London, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Toronto, Beijing and Shanghai.
When traveling, you should familiarize yourself with the public transport network of the respective city. Using public transport is straightforward, however, as tickets do not need to be purchased in advance from a machine. Apple offers a website with explanations to the various transport systems.
