A Cubic fare reader in test mode stands on an MBTA fare gate at North Station on Feb. 12, 2024. A new fare collection system will launch this summer allowing subway and bus riders to pay by tapping a contactless credit card or mobile wallet on a smartphone, like Apple Pay, instead of the traditional CharlieCards and paper tickets.
The system will also support a new reduced-price fare option for low-income riders, a long-sought program also set to launch this summer. The Mattapan Line is not scheduled to get the new functionality until several months after the rest of the core rapid-transit system. Winters Ronaldson said a"power availability issue" prevents operation of the fare readers on board those trolleys.
MBTA overseers agreed Thursday to delay the complete rollout across all modes from May 2024 to June 2026, and to push the"longstop date" — by which every contract condition must be met — from August 2025 to June 2027.