Fitbit Pay Will Now Work with NYC Subway or Bus Fares

Fitbit contactless payment NYC
Image: Fitbit

Paying for the world’s largest subway system ride is now much easier with contactless payment option. Starting May 31, New Yorkers, and even visitors can pay for their ride by tapping a credit and debit card at the 16 of New York City’s 472 subway stations – along with some of its buses.

Fitbit is now included in the growing list of device makers that will support tap-to-pay in New York City’s mass transit system.

Related Sydney Commuters Can Now Use Credit or Debit Cards to Tap Onto Trains

“We’re excited to work with FitBit and others to help us provide added value and everyday convenience to our customers,” said Al Putre, One Metro New York executive director at the MTA. “We are always looking for ways to enhance the transit experience and help New Yorkers and visitors alike get to their destination faster and make payment more convenient, and now they can do so with any FitBit wearable that supports FitBit pay with a simple tap of the wrist.”

Fitbit Pay-equipped wearables like Fitbit  Charge 3 Special Edition, Versa Special Edition or Fitbit Ionic will let you pay per ride on the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) Staten Island buses as well as the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines running between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center, reports Tech Crunch.

In addition to bringing Fitbit Pay to one of the largest and busiest public transit systems in the world with the MTA, Fitbit continues to expand its global transit system capabilities to serve commuters and travelers from all over. Fitbit Pay can now be used across seven open and closed loop transit systems, including Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA), Sydney transport for New South Wales (NSW) train, ferry and light rail services, Taiwan iPASS, TransLink in Vancouver and Transport for London (TfL), with plans to bring Fitbit Pay to more global transit systems in the future.

Fitbit Versa Special Edition Smartwatch
Riders can use Versa Special Edition (pictured here), Fitbit Charge 3 Special Edition or Fitbit Ionic for contactless payment at the NY subways (Image: Fitbit)

Related Visa and Planeta Informatica Launch New Technology to Bring Speed and Security of Contactless Payment to Transit Operators Worldwide

“In addition to helping our users get healthier and more active, we’re committed to delivering holistic experiences on our trackers and smartwatches that help keep our 27 million active users engaged,” said James Park, CEO and co-founder of Fitbit. “As we expand the use of Fitbit Pay to work with the MTA and other major transit systems around the globe, we are enabling our on-the-go customers to safely and easily pay for transit with devices that are broadly compatible and have long battery life – all making it easier to go about their day.”

WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco on July 9-10

The most innovative wearables event will be back on July 9-10 in beautiful San Francisco at SEMICON West to celebrate the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference Series. Topics include data analytics in professional sports, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with wearables, the future of digital health, medication and adherence, smart patches, workflow optimization and workforce safety and much more – featuring international leaders and experts of the wearables industry´s biggest names including Abbott, Autodesk, Datwyler, Kopin, Maxim Integrated, Multek, NFLPA, Omron, SharkDreams, Qualcomm, and many more. Register now to be part of #WTUS19

Previous articleIDC: Wrist-Worn and Ear-Worn Wearables Lead the Market, Fueled by a Strong Growth Trajectory
Next articleNemaura’s SugarBeat Non-Invasive CGM Gets CE Approval
Cathy Russey
Cathy Russey () is Online Editor at WT | Wearable Technologies and specialized in writing about the latest medical wearables and enabling technologies on the market. Cathy can be contacted at info(at)wearable-technologies.com.