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No CharlieCard, no problem: MBTA to introduce new contactless fare payment this summer
Soon, T riders will be able to board subways and buses with just the tap of a smartphone or credit card.
The MBTA said it hopes to roll out contactless payment on subways and buses this summer, allowing T riders to forgo their CharlieCards and pay their fare with the tap of a smartphone or credit card.
New fare readers began popping up throughout the MBTA system more than a year ago, but the agency’s efforts to overhaul its fare collection process were plagued by years of delays and millions of dollars in budget increases.
The T’s latest timeline has contactless payment launching on buses and subways this summer, though acting deputy chief of fare revenue Elizabeth Winters Ronaldson told the MBTA Board of Directors the Mattapan Line won’t be part of the initial rollout.
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“For bus and Green Line customers who board at street level, they will use validators that are installed on the vehicles,” Winters Ronaldson said Thursday. “For the Mattapan trolleys, unfortunately there was a power availability issue when the design was being put together, and so the plan is to install validators at the stations. That has its own construction timeline.”
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She said work on the Mattapan Line fare validators will begin in the fall. Further down the line, Winters Ronaldson said the MBTA also plans to launch a new CharlieCard system, mobile app, and fare-vending machines in the spring of 2025, followed by the expansion of contactless payment to the Commuter Rail and ferries in the spring of 2026.
According to the MBTA, the fare transformation initiative will ultimately result in faster boarding on buses and Green Line trains, in addition to more seamless payment on all modes of public transit.
“We’re really excited about this feature that we will be providing to the public, our riders,” MBTA general manager Phil Eng told the board Thursday. “It will make it easier to access our system. It’ll eliminate a lot of current challenges that we have, and it’s something that I’m really excited that we were able to take a look at how this project was developed and how best to move it forward.”
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Eng said he’s had a chance to try the contactless payment system during the MBTA’s test phase.
“It’s an exciting feature, and our public deserves this,” he said.
The MBTA Board of Directors also heard from Peter Torrellas, senior vice president of Cubic Corporation and president of Cubic Transportation Systems, which has partnered with the T for its contactless fare system.
“The introduction of contactless payment will provide significant benefits to the MBTA riders, offering a convenient and accessible payment method for those with contactless credit cards, debit cards, and mobile wallets,” Torrellas said.
He emphasized Cubic’s commitment to ensuring a seamless and successful rollout and cited the company’s work in other major cities, including New York City.
“This new modern contactless payment system will completely transform the experience of millions of T riders statewide,” Torrellas said.
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