Manchester commuters can now buy a bus or tram ticket inside Apple Wallet, then tap an iPhone or Apple Watch to travel. The new Bee Card support is a small-looking update with a useful twist: the ticket itself lives alongside the cards already on your device.
Transport for Greater Manchester announced the expansion on 6 October, and MacRumors reported it on 7 October. It opens selected prepaid Bee Network tickets to Apple users of all ages, following an earlier rollout for young people using Our Pass.
For Malaysians visiting Manchester, it is a practical travel update. For anyone following Apple, it shows the company extending Wallet into another ordinary part of the day, beyond buying something at a shop.
A ticket and a bank card do different jobs
Apple’s transit guidance describes two routes into public transport payments. One uses an eligible payment card through Apple Pay. The other puts an agency-branded transit card into Wallet.
Think of the first as presenting your bank card through your phone. The second carries a transport product from the operator. That difference matters because a prepaid ticket can cover a particular period or combination of services rather than being a payment method alone.
Neither method automatically works on every network. Apple says acceptance depends on the agency, region, supported card and device. A phone that pays successfully at a café does not therefore have a ticket for every tram you might board.
The Bee Card news concerns a specific network in Greater Manchester. It is not an announcement that Malaysian rail cards have been added to Wallet, or that Apple Pay support has changed on every transit system worldwide.
The ticket choices include buses, trams and both
TfGM lists eight adult and family options, including one-day and seven-day bus tickets, weekend and seven-day all-zone tram tickets, and one-day or seven-day bus-and-tram combinations. There are also family products in the selection.
To start, open Wallet, tap the plus button, choose the travel-card option and select Bee Network. You then choose and buy an eligible ticket. Once it is stored on the digital Bee Card, the device can be presented at the relevant bus or tram reader.
TfGM specifies iOS 27 as the minimum for Bee Card support. Check that requirement before relying on the feature for an airport arrival or the first morning of a trip.
The agency also keeps its existing choices. Riders can buy tickets in the Bee Network app, or use a credit or debit card through the network’s Tap and Go system. Wallet’s prepaid card is an additional way to travel, rather than an instruction to abandon the other methods.
Express Mode removes the unlocking step
With an eligible card set to Express Mode, Apple says you can use it without opening Wallet, unlocking the device or authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode.
That sounds minor until you picture a queue at the reader, one hand holding a bag and the other trying to reach the right screen. Removing a step can be more useful than adding another colourful app page.
Apple’s instructions put the top of the iPhone, or the Apple Watch display, near the contactless reader. A successful transaction produces a confirmation. The feature has to be supported by the card and transport system; ordinary contactless capability is not the whole story.
For the Bee Card, TfGM says Express Mode requires an iPhone XR or later, or Apple Watch Series 6 or later. Only one digital Bee Card can have Express Mode enabled at a time. Those requirements belong to this service, so check them separately from general Wallet compatibility.
Pick the device you will actually tap
Apple’s general transit-card guide says a transit card can be held on one device at a time. If you want to use it on another device, the card needs to be moved rather than treated as two simultaneous copies.
The guide explains moving a card between iPhone and Apple Watch through the Watch app, as well as transferring eligible cards when setting up a new iPhone. Some transfers require the previous device to be nearby and connected to the internet.
For a trip, that is worth sorting out before reaching the platform. If your usual tapping habit involves a watch, confirm where the card is stored and what the operator supports. Do not assume a ticket bought on a phone is immediately usable from any Apple device you own.
Apple also notes that some physical cards can be transferred into Wallet, depending on the agency. That is a general capability, not a promise that every existing plastic Bee Card can be converted through the same steps.
A low battery is not the same as switching off
Apple says some Express Mode cards, passes and keys can work with power reserve for up to five hours after an iPhone needs charging. The important word is some: availability depends on the card and device.
Deliberately turning the iPhone off disables that power-reserve feature. It should not be treated as an unlimited fallback for any ticket you happen to keep in Wallet.
Before travelling, charge the device and check the card settings. If your plan depends on a feature such as power reserve, confirm support rather than finding out beside a reader. A digital ticket makes one part of the journey easier, but the device still deserves the same preparation as the rest of your travel kit.
The useful upgrade is fewer places to hunt
For a visitor, the appeal is straightforward: an eligible prepaid ticket can be bought and kept in one familiar app. The choice still needs to match the journey, particularly when comparing a bus-only product with one that includes trams.
Apple’s support guidance advises checking with the transit agency if a card does not appear among the available options. That is the sensible next step when a feature is missing, rather than repeatedly adding an unrelated payment card.
Manchester’s expansion also makes a wider point about phone convenience. The device is most helpful when it removes a little friction from a real task. Here, that task is getting from the ticket purchase to the reader with the right pass already waiting.
Sources & further reading
Prepared with AI assistance from linked reporting. The cover is an AI-generated editorial illustration. Spotted something we should correct?