Austin bus passengers can now use the tap to pay feature to pay their fares, Capital Metro announced this week.
According to a Monday press release, Capital Metro riders can use either contactless credit/debit cars or cell phones with Apple Pay or Google Pay. All major credits cars and banks are accepted with the exception of American Express.
All you have to do is cap your card or phone on the scanner when you hop on the bus where it shows the scanner icon. Once you see a green screen and hear a beep, you’ll know the payment was successful.
Of course, there are a couple of caveats. One is that riders have to use the same payment method in order to benefit from fare capping, which means that riders only pay $2.50 per day for a standard fare. Once you’ve hit that $2.50 cap, the rest of your rides for that day are free.
Capital Metro still recommends riders use the Umo app to make the most out of its monthly fare program.
Additionally, each rider must use a different contactless payment method. So riders can’t pay for themselves and a friend.
The service, which officially rolled out on Feb. 1, is not yet available on other Capital Metro services like Rail or Access. It is available on all bus routes except for Routes 214 and 990.
At least one X user reached out to Cap Metro to question whether the rollout is technologically sound.