use tubes, buses, and trams without having to
use Touch ID or Face ID authentication.
“Paying for journeys on Transport for London
is easier with Express Mode for Apple Pay.
You don’t need to authenticate your payment
with Face ID or Touch ID. Simply tap your
iPhone or Apple Watch on the yellow card
reader and go,” Apple now proudly states on
its website, promising a new, streamlined
user experience unlike any other for modern
public transport users. Joining the likes of MTA
in New York City, Suica transit in Japan, and
Hop Fastpass in Portland, Apple Pay’s Express
Transit feature now makes lives easier for those
traveling in London.
REPLACING THE OYSTER CARD
In the United Kingdom, consumers regularly
use an Oyster card, a contactless prepaid card,
to tap in and out of the London Underground
network, removing the need for cash or credit
cards. However, Oyster has fallen out of fashion
in recent years as consumers opt to use their
contactless debit card or their Apple Pay or
Google Pay-compatible device, meaning one
less thing to think about when getting ready in
the morning.
That’s not all - Transport for London says an
eye-watering £400 million worth of Oyster
credit is sitting unused on accounts in total. That
money will be used to “improve the transport
network” in London, though consumers are still
able to apply for a discount for any unused credit
on their accounts. More than half of the unused
Oyster card balance - £200 million - is made up
of the £5 deposit which is required when signing
up for a card, and the rest is unused balances.