Express Transit support for Clipper card is coming to Apple Pay

Apple Clipper Express Transit (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple has just announced a partnership with Clipper.
Clipper card users will be able to use Express Transit in Apple Pay with their Clipper card.
With Clipper, users can pay for transit fares across 24 different agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, including BART and Muni.

A new partnership between Apple and Clipper is bringing Express Transit support for the Clipper card in Apple Pay. This means that any Clipper card user will be able to use their Clipper card in the Wallet app with just a tap across all San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies, without the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or any other peripheral.

For the uninitiated, the Clipper card is a reloadable smart card that can be used to pay for public transit fares in the San Francisco Bay Area. Clipper users are able to access buses, rails, ferries, and even trains across 24 different transit agencies in the Bay Area. This includes the popular BART and Muni systems.

Express Transit is a feature in the Wallet app that allows users to simply tap to pay. There is no need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or even a double-click on Apple Watch — just tap and go. It's super easy and quick, which is what you need when commuting.

With your Clipper card on iPhone or Apple Watch, you'll be able to ride on all 24 San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies, like BART and Muni, with Apple Pay in just a tap — no need to use Face ID, Touch ID,* or touch a vending machine or card reader.

However, while this partnership has officially been announced, it's not clear when this will start. You can sign up for an email alert once it's ready to go.

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed. When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.