Manchester's Bee Card now works in Apple Wallet for every ticket, and Boston tests a Charlie Card for iPhoneManchester's Bee Card now works in Apple Wallet for every ticket, and Boston tests a Charlie Card for iPhone

The Bee Card, the travel card for Greater Manchester's Bee Network, can now hold every type of Bee Network ticket in Apple Wallet, MacRumors reported on 7 October.

Transport for Greater Manchester first put the Bee Card into Apple Wallet in August, but only for young people using the free or discounted Our Pass. From Tuesday 6 October, according to MacRumors, which cites the transport authority's announcement, the Wallet version supports all Bee Network tickets. Riders can buy bus and tram tickets inside Wallet, store them on the card and tap an iPhone or Apple Watch on the reader. iOS 27 is required.

How do you add a Bee Card to Apple Wallet?

• Open Wallet and tap the plus button at the top right
• Choose Travel Card, which some people will see as Transit Card
• Scroll to the United Kingdom section and choose Bee Network
• Buy a ticket in Wallet and it is stored on the card
• Turn on Express Mode to tap without waking or unlocking the device

Boston's new Charlie Card is in testing

In Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is testing a new version of its Charlie Card that can live in Apple Wallet. The MBTA's own page says the new card will come as plastic, paper and mobile versions, and that the mobile card will work on Apple, Google and Samsung devices. For now it is limited to people taking part in the test. MacRumors says they are riders who signed up in 2024, and the MBTA says the public release will come later.

According to the MBTA, the new card will sit alongside the original CharlieCard for a while. It works on bus, subway and ferry, can be managed through a Charlie account and a coming Charlie app, and will carry a one-time card fee whose amount has not been announced. Reduced fare versions will exist too. Riders who use cash will be able to top up a mobile card by tapping it at a new fare machine.

Our take

Contactless bank cards and Apple Pay already pay the standard fare on many networks, so it is fair to ask why a transit card in Wallet matters. The answer is everything a bank card cannot carry. A contactless bank card pays the adult fare. It cannot hold a young person's concession, a senior or disability discount, or a pass bought in advance. Those need a ticket that belongs to the transit system, and until now in Manchester that meant plastic for most of them.

That is why Manchester's change is bigger than it looks. Our Pass in Wallet helped young people. All tickets in Wallet means the season and multi-day tickets most regular commuters buy can live on the phone.

Boston is further behind. A test limited to riders who signed up two years ago, with a fee still to be set, does not tell anyone when they can use it. We at APPDOOK would watch for the fee, because a charge for a card that lives on a phone the rider already owns is an odd thing to ask for, and it may decide how many people switch.