MBTA

MBTA celebrates success of contactless payment system

Ryan Coholan, chief operating officer at the MBTA, said the milestone is a sign of things to come in the future

NBC10 Boston

The MBTA has hit 10 million contactless payment taps since the launch of the new system back in August.

The payment system allows riders to tap a credit card, phone payment app or watch to get onto a subway, trolley or bus.

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Ryan Coholan, chief operating officer at the MBTA, said the milestone is a sign of things to come in the future.

“This is an example of what the MBTA can do, you know, we introduced this program and I think this sets the stage for what we can do better, what we can do more efficiently to make public transit a simple effective option for ridership.”

According to the MBTA, as of this month, one in five payment taps on the system’s buses and subways is contactless.

The agency has struggled in recent years to get up to speed on necessary maintenance while also looking at long-term improvements. A new transportation investment plan from Gov. Maura Healey seeks to direct millions in funding toward the MBTA, under General Manager Phil Eng, for operating costs in an effort to reconcile its budget and continue improvements on the system.

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