Manchester's transit card now works like a regular tap-to-pay card, for every rider, not just teens.
Transport for Greater Manchester has expanded Apple Wallet support for the Bee Card to all ticket types, following an August rollout limited to young riders using discounted Our Pass tickets. Riders can add the card by opening Wallet, tapping the plus sign, selecting the transit card option, and choosing Bee Network under the UK section. Once added, bus and tram tickets can be bought directly inside Wallet and loaded onto the virtual card. Tapping an iPhone or Apple Watch on a reader pays the fare, and Express Mode skips the need to wake or unlock the device.
This closes a gap that made digital ticketing feel like a beta program for months: anyone using Bee Network, not just a subsidized subset, now gets the same tap-and-go convenience. For a transit agency, removing a physical card step is also removing a point of friction that pushes riders back toward cash or paper tickets.
It's a modest fix dressed up as a feature announcement, but modest fixes are how transit apps actually get used.