MBTA to Join 21st Century

MBTA officials expect a new fare collection system to launch this summer allowing subway and bus riders to pay by tapping a contactless credit card or mobile wallet on a smartphone, like Apple Pay, instead of the traditional CharlieCards and paper tickets -- but not for commuter rail until much later.

The start of contactless payment -- a feature in place in other major transit systems, including New York City's subway -- would mark a milestone in a long delayed project to modernize fare collection at the T.

"It is going to be state of the art. It's something that our customers want and they'll be able to feel," MBTA Acting Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Cook told a subcommittee Thursday. "It will be something that will be able to be expanded on."

A timeline presented Thursday calls for the tap-through option to become available in the summer on subway fare gates, buses and above-ground Green Line trolleys. A new CharlieCard plus a mobile app and upgraded fare vending machines are set to launch in spring 2025, and the contactless payment will then expand to commuter rail trains and ferries in spring 2026.