It’s the ultimate first-world problem in Sydney. It is morning peak hour, you are trying to get off the bus in a hurry and you are stuck behind a person fiddling with their phone trying to tap off.
That process will soon be faster for iPhone users – and everyone waiting behind them – who will no longer need to unlock their device to tap on and off public transport in New South Wales.
Since all Opal readers were upgraded to allow taps-on with credit cards in 2019, passengers who have added payment cards into their digital wallet have also been able to tap on with their smartphone or smartwatch.
Smartphones treat this in the same way as any financial transaction, so users have had to unlock their device to authorise the tap.
However, under a new deal struck between the NSW government and Apple, passengers who use digital payment cards on their iPhones or Apple watches to tap on to public transport will no longer have to unlock their device with a passcode or biometric recognition.
The feature will work even if an iPhone has run out of battery, the state’s transport department said.
The capability is already active on some Opal readers, and will be fully rolled out to all 25,000 readers across the bus, train, light rail and ferry networks in the coming weeks. Passengers will need to update their device’s software, activate express transit mode and nominate from which payment card they want Opal readers to deduct.
The initiative only benefits Apple users. Samsung devices have already had the feature, but this hasn’t yet extended to all Android devices.
Digital Opal cards have previously been trialled by the NSW government but have not yet been introduced. This means those with concession and senior Opal cards still require physical cards to access the cheaper fares.
Despite being limited mostly to Apple devices, the NSW government believes the initiative will speed up public transport by making it easier for passengers to get off buses and through station turnstiles.
Almost 2 million public transport users in NSW use digital credit cards on their devices to tap on, according to the department.
Transport for NSW’s chief of technology, Kurt Brissett, said Apple’s market share is so pronounced the feature could have a tangible impact on speeds.
More than 65% of credit card tap-ons on the Opal network are now made using digital wallets, and the “vast majority” of these tap-ons were made with Apple devices, he said.
“This means the upgrade provides access to a seamless tap-on and tap-off experience for most of our passengers,” Brissett said. “This really is amazing technology that will deliver a simple time-saving solution with fewer hold-ups and more peace of mind.”
The transport minister, Jo Haylen, said: “We know it can hold things up when you’re trying to quickly use Touch ID or Face ID to unlock your device at the reader. Now for Apple users it’s as simple as tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch without having to wake up or unlock your screen.”
