Metrobus to launch tap-to-pay option

Metrobus to launch tap to pay option

Getting on the bus is about to get easier and faster. The same ‘Tap. Ride. Go.’ system that lets riders pay with a phone or credit card on Metrorail is coming to Metrobus.

WASHINGTON - Getting on the bus is about to get easier and faster. The same ‘Tap. Ride. Go.’ system that lets riders pay with a phone or credit card on Metrorail is coming to Metrobus.

Tap. Ride. Go.

FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh reports that soon riders will be able to leave the SmarTrip card, and even cash, at home.

Starting later this month, Metrobus riders will be able to tap a credit or debit card or use Apple Pay or Google Pay to board.

It’s part of WMATA’s ‘Tap. Ride. Go.’ system, which rolled out on Metrorail in May and already has more than a million users.

Officials say the goal is to make things easier and faster, especially for tourists and first‑time riders who don’t already have SmarTrip cards.

Help curb fare evasion

The system is also meant to help curb fare evasion, which Metro says is about 68 percent on buses compared with just four percent on trains.

But not everyone is on board. Some riders say they prefer to stick with SmarTrip cards, citing concerns about credit card security or losing track of spending.

WMATA leaders say the new contactless system is part of a broader modernization plan to make public transit across the region more seamless, convenient and cash‑free.

Metro hasn’t announced an exact start date, only that it will happen by mid‑November.

After buses, WMATA says parking garages are next in line to get the ‘Tap. Ride. Go.’ treatment.

More information on the ‘Tap. Riae. Go.’ plan can be found online.