New way to pay for buses and trams introduced across Greater Manchester

Contactless payments on buses can now be done with a physical bank card or a card loaded onto a phone

It comes nearly five months after 'tap and go' payments were introduced.

A new way of paying to travel on buses and trams has been introduced across Greater Manchester.

From this week, Express Mode has been activated across the Bee Network, allowing passengers to use Apple Pay without having to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch. The move means it will be quicker and simpler for passengers using this method to pay.

It comes nearly five months after 'tap and go' payments were introducedacross all buses and trams across Greater Manchester. The new system means the cheapest fare is automatically calculated for each journey and the total charge is capped at a daily rate.

This changed followed the final phase of Greater Manchester's buses being brought under public control as part of the Bee Network.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: "We are making great strides in making the Bee Network more reliable and easier to use.

"A key part of that is helping people pay in a way that suits them – and technology is a real enabler to that, which is why we’re excited to bring Express Mode to our Apple Pay customers.

"Following the hugely successful launch of tap and go, I am delighted that the Bee Network will become the first integrated public transport system in the country outside of London to offer Express Mode.

"Not only does it make using our buses and trams even easier and quicker than it is now, but it will also help us to unlock even more ways for people to travel in the future using their iPhone and Apple Watch."

With Express Mode, customers can set a credit or debit card in Apple Wallet as a default transit card by opening the Apple Wallet app, tapping the ‘More’ button, selecting ‘Card Details’ and choosing ‘Express Travel Settings’ before selecting the payment card they’d like to use with Express Transit.

Once enabled, they simply hold their device near the card reader to pay and ride — no authentication of Face ID or Touch ID required.

Riders can change or manage their default Express Mode card at any time within the Apple Wallet app.

For added convenience, power reserve on iPhone enables customers to still use their device to pay even if their device needs a charge.