If you use Apple Pay to pay for your MRT rides, one small but useful inconvenience has quietly disappeared.
Apple Pay Express Mode has been available across Singapore’s MRT and LRT network since mid-August 2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) confirmed on Friday, 4 September.
With Express Mode switched on, commuters can simply hold an iPhone or Apple Watch near the fare reader. There is no need to wake or unlock the device, open Apple Wallet, or authenticate each trip using Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode.
In other words, it works a lot more like tapping a physical travel card instead of conducting a tiny security ceremony every time you reach an MRT gantry.
Buses Only Partly Support Apple Pay Express Mode For Now
The rollout is not yet complete across Singapore’s public transport system.
Express Mode currently works on buses only when they are fitted with LTA’s enhanced card readers. These newer readers are being progressively installed across the bus fleet.
LTA previously said the upgraded readers have bigger displays, clearer visuals and faster SimplyGo transaction updates. Commuters can also tap their card or device anywhere on the reader’s screen.
If a bus still has an older reader, Apple Pay users will continue to have to wake or authenticate their device before tapping.
LTA is aiming to make Express Mode available throughout the entire public transport network by the end of 2027. More information on the rollout will be announced later.
How To Turn On Express Mode
Apple says users can choose an eligible payment card in Apple Wallet for Express Mode.
On an iPhone, users can open Wallet, select the relevant card, go to Card Details and choose the Express Transit or Express Mode setting. A preferred card can then be selected for public transport payments.
For an Apple Watch, the setting can be configured through the Watch app on the paired iPhone under Wallet & Apple Pay.
Once activated on a supported transport reader, simply holding the top of the iPhone or the Apple Watch display near the reader should be enough to make the payment.
Remember To Tap In And Out With The Same Device
The usual SimplyGo rules still apply even though tapping is now faster.
SimplyGo says commuters using a mobile wallet should use the same mobile device and the same payment card when entering and leaving the public transport system. Mixing a physical bank card with a phone, or using different devices, can result in the taps being treated as separate transactions.
Mobile wallets such as Apple Pay are also charged regular adult fares. Commuters entitled to subsidised fares should continue using their SimplyGo Concession cards to receive those concessions.
Apple’s Express Mode can also work without the phone being connected to the internet, although the device generally needs to be powered on. On compatible iPhones and cards, Apple says a power reserve may allow Express Mode to continue working for a limited period when the phone needs charging.
