You can finally pay for SEPTA rides on your phone (unless you take Regional Rail) - The Philadelphia Inquirer

All travelers are present invited to usage SEPTA Key Tix to bargain fares for bus, subway and trolley rides with conscionable a fewer taps connected their smartphones, arsenic the transit bureau this week expanded the beta trial of its caller mobile ticketing platform.

The feature, wrong the SEPTA app, allows users to download a QR-code summons that tin beryllium work astatine fare boxes and turnstiles. Families and friends traveling unneurotic tin wage for up to 5 riders astatine erstwhile by scanning a azygous barroom code.

“We’re moving it guardant since investigating has been going beauteous well,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said. “We besides thought it was a bully thought to get it retired earlier the holidays.”

It’s a engaged question play that provides a bully accidental to further trial the platform, and SEPTA officials deliberation galore travelers volition find the “multi-tap” diagnostic utile during the season.

About 1,200 volunteers person been utilizing mobile ticketing successful a closed trial that began successful the spring, allowing SEPTA’s developers to marque adjustments. Some of the testers reported frustration, calling the level cumbersome to usage due to the fact that existing balances connected Key Card “travel wallets” couldn’t beryllium utilized to bargain mobile tickets.

Others said they had hoped to person the quality to usage Apple Pay, Google Pay oregon to wage by tapping a recognition oregon debit paper close astatine the fare container oregon turnstile. Other ample metropolitan transit systems already connection those options.

» READ MORE: SEPTA is moving retired kinks successful its mobile telephone ticketing feature. Volunteer testers study frustration.

SEPTA officials accidental they program to statesman investigating those functions successful 2023. Also coming adjacent year: mobile payments connected Regional Rail. SEPTA is inactive moving to instal smartphone readers on those routes.

SEPTA’s acquisition with Key Card has been plagued by delays and gone good implicit budget. Recent amendments to contracts with the developer, Conduent Inc., and an engineering steadfast that manages the programme pushed the outgo to astatine slightest $263 million — much than treble the budgeted amount.

Congratulations! You’re a beta tester and tin present usage your telephone to wage for rides connected SEPTA.