UP Express customers can now tap-on and pay for their ride using credit cards and mobile wallets instead of having to pre-purchase a ticket or load their PRESTO card.
Starting today, Metrolinx is starting a pilot program allowing for contactless payment on UP Express.
Customers can now tap their physical credit card or the credit card in their mobile wallet to pay for their fare.
“We certainly want more ways for people to be able to pay for transit, make it easy for them. And we all have moved to a contactless world,” Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told CP24.
PRESTO cards and pre-purchased tickets are still accepted as payments on UP Express.
The contactless payment options are being tested on UP Express and then are expected to be rolled out to GO Transit in a phased approach.
Aikins said Metrolinx is also working to get the new payment methods up and running on the TTC.
“They’re our biggest customer and we’re working very closely with TTC to make it happen. We’re both very committed to making this happen as soon as we can,” she said.
Just like a PRESTO card, customers must tap on and off during their travels and use the same form of payment during a trip.
If using a physical card, PRESTO says customers should take it out of their wallet instead of trying to tap their wallet to ensure the right card is charged.
This spring, PRESTO also plans to add Interac Debit as a payment option on UP Express, becoming the first transit agency in Canada to offer a contactless debit option.
