MBTA installs new fare readers, but they don’t do anything (yet)

MBTA riders eager to use more convenient payment methods, such as Apple Pay, may have been excited to see that new readers had been installed at Wellington station recently. But those devices are not operational yet, and the wait continues for a speedier fare-payment system. 

The agency said Monday that it had installed new readers on five fare gates at Wellington Station on the Orange Line. More readers, which will allow riders to pay using a contactless credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, are set to be installed throughout the Orange Line. 

They are not ready to accept fares just yet, and riders should still use the existing Charlie Card or ticket readers. 

The agency did not say how soon riders will be able to use the new readers installed at Wellington Station. 

This is the next step in the MBTA’s major Fare Transformation project, which is overhauling the ways riders pay for transit across the system. Beginning in 2017, the agency has worked to address a payment system it says was “outdated and overly complex.”

The goal is that, by 2025, riders will be able to use new fare cards or smart devices to board trains and buses at any door. The project will also allow people to reload their cards at all train stations and some bus stops. 

Phase Three of the project is underway, with the MBTA testing new ways of payment. The Orange Line, Green Line, and certain bus routes will eventually be outfitted with new readers.

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