A digital Tyne and Wear Metro pass that gives access to cheaper tickets remains off limits for iPhone users.
Amid plans for a massive hike in Metro fares due to come into force in April, transport bosses are still in talks to try and get the system’s Pop card to work with Apple phones. Journeys using Pop Pay As You Go, which is also available to order as a physical smartcard, are already cheaper than buying equivalent paper tickets – but the impending price lift will make them even more so, with a day’s travel costing £1.35 less.
While Metro operator Nexus is desperate for more passengers to sign up for a Pop card, which will have its fare rates frozen for a second year running, there remains frustration that its mobile version still cannot be downloaded onto iPhones. Since its launch last year, the digital Pop card has only been available to people with Android smartphones via the Google Pay app, allowing them to touch in and out at Metro station gates using their phone.
