Tap. Ride. Go.

Tap your credit or debit card on rail, bus, and select parking locations

Smart Trip cards are still accepted, and needed for some programs, including reduced fares, passes, and Smart Benefits.

Learn more about Smart Trip

How to use Tap. Ride. Go.

To use Tap. Ride. Go., there's no need to sign up, register, or purchase a Smart Trip card. Just use a contactcless credit or debit card, or your phone with payments enabled. 

Metro Rail

  1. Select your contactless credit or debit card (physical card or mobile wallet).
  2. Tap your card or device at any Metro Rail faregate to enter a station.
  3. Enjoy your ride.
  4. Tap the same card or device at any Metro Rail faregate to exit a station.

That's it! Enjoy your day. 

Metro Bus

  1. Select your contactless credit or debit card (physical card or mobile wallet).
  2. Tap your card or device at any Metro Bus farebox.

That's it! Enjoy your ride.

Parking

When exiting a Tap. Ride. Go.-enabled parking facility, tap the new fare reader with your same contactless credit or debit card (physical card or mobile wallet) that you used for your rail trip.

Swiping your card when leaving the facility will not activate the discounted rider rate (you must tap).

That's it! Enjoy your day. 

Benefits of Tap. Ride. Go.

  • No need to visit a fare machine to purchase or add value to a Smart Trip card.
  • Simplified payment: especially convenient for visitors, business travelers, and occasional riders.
  • Ability to use your existing, preferred payment methods.
  • Parking benefits (tap vs. swipe): faster, more secure, and in some cases, cheaper (i.e., receive the discounted rider rate).

Specifics for Tap. Ride. Go.

  • Each customer needs their own physical contactless card  or mobile-enabled device.
  • Most contactless cards  are accepted, including Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. If you can tap it to pay in a store, you can use it for Tap. Ride. Go.
  • Tap. Ride. Go. is available for use at all Metro Rail faregates, on any Metro Bus farebox, and in select parking facilities.
  • Charges for each ride will show up as "Metro" on your card or bank statement.
  • When you tap in and tap out at a Metro Rail faregate, make sure to use the same contactless card or device.
  • For transfers, Metro Rail to Metro Bus, or Metro Bus to Metro Rail, use the same contactless card  or device.
  • Tap only the contactless card you intend to use at the faregate or farebox to avoid "card clash" (i.e., don't tap your whole physical wallet).

Parking discounts with Tap. Ride. Go.

In order to qualify for the lower daily parking rate under Tap. Ride. Go., you must: 

a) take a valid Metro Rail trip (min. two stops) using a contactless credit or debit card (physical or mobile)

b) tap the new fare reader (don't swipe the old unit) to exit the facility with that same payment method; and 

c) leave the parking lot within two hours from the start of your ride.

Metro launched an online tracker showing which parking facilities accept Tap. Ride. Go. payments.

Visit our parking page for more details

Using your device

If you have a valid card added, you can use:

  • Apple Pay 
  • Google Pay (GPay)
  • Samsung Pay
  • Fitbit Pay
  • Garmin Pay

Cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity is not required to tap with Apple Pay or Google Pay, and may not be needed for other devices. 

Apple Wallet and Express Mode

Just like Smart Trip, you can use Express Mode with your debit or credit card in Apple Wallet. With Express Mode, you won't have to unlock or wake up your iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple.com | How to enable express mode

Some Apple devices support power reserve, which allows you to use certain Express cards even when it needs to be charged.

If you have both a Smart Trip card and a payment card in Apple Wallet, the reader will select the Smart Trip card first. If you prefer to pay for your trip with your credit or debit card, then you should enable Express on your preferred payment card and disable Express on your Smart Trip card.