Muni Launches Mobile Fare Payment Pilot
Starting this summer, you won’t need exact fare anymore to ride public transportation in SF – Muni is finally entering the 21st century and accepting mobile payments with a brand new app for both iPhone and Android.
The pilot program begins in the summer of 2015 and can be used for single ride fares and tourist passports, but sadly won’t be valid yet for fast passes or for clipper cards (that’s not until 2020).
And it’s not clear yet how transfers will work, but that’s why it’s called a pilot program
SFMTA to Launch Mobile Fare Payment Pilot
Announced January 5, 2015The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), announced that it will pilot a new smartphone application (app) for purchasing and using transit fares across the Muni system. With the new app, riders will no longer be required to have exact change or rely on fare vending machines to ride. The pilot is expected to begin in the summer of 2015.
Users will be able to store a debit or credit card or use PayPal to purchase tickets anytime and anywhere.
While the Muni mobile payment application will offer fares for Muni only, it is part of a broader effort to evaluate smartphone mobile payment options for adjoining Bay Area transit operators that participate in the Clipper card program. The next generation of Clipper card, slated for introduction by 2020, aims to provide multiple payment options to Clipper patrons.
The Muni mobile payment application will initially be available for iOS and Android operating systems and there will be no change in fare structure. Transfers will still be available for those who pay with cash.
