Apple has launched its contactless Apple Pay Express Transit Mode, which does not require authentication such as Touch ID, for the Transport for London (TFL) mass transit services.
The new Express Transit feature is meant to speed along “tap and go” contactless payments as it no longer requires the user to authenticate themselves with Face ID or Touch ID – Apple Pay users only place their device next to the contactless reader at transit terminals. TfL announced in May that it was working directly with Apple to enable the Express Transit feature.
Express Transit was a feature built into iOS 12.3 and only requires the local transit agencies to enable it on their systems, according to the publication 9to5Mac. In addition to the TfL, Apple Pay Express Transit is available at the MTA in New York City, Hop Fastpass in Portland, Suica transit in Japan and select Beijing and Shanghai transit cards.
According to Apple support, on iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, owners can use the phone’s power reserve with Express Transit cards to enable payment for up to five hours after the device needs to be charged. The publication MacRumors reports that Express Transit works iPhone XS or newer for up to five hours after the iPhone shuts off and displays a red battery icon.
Enabling a faster method of payment for Apple Pay is just one step Apple is taking toward its goal of attaining 10 billion transactions overall by the end of the year. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced this goal during the company's 2019 second-quarter conference call in April.
