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tap in

To tap in is to register the start of a journey or your entry to a public transport system by touching a contactless ticket, card, or phone on a reader.

In plain English

This means marking the beginning of travel by briefly touching a contactless fare medium to a reader. It records that a journey has started or that someone has entered the public transport system.

In context

Here, "tap in" tells passengers to touch their contactless ticket, card, or phone on the reader to register their entry at the start of the journey.

Situation
Using rail, bus, metro, ride, and local-transit tickets and service updates
What it communicates
instructs passengers to present a fare medium at entry.

Meaning limits

The term only covers recording the start of entry or travel, not whether travel is authorised or how the trip will be charged.

Examples

“She tapped in with her phone at the station gate before boarding the train.”

Core meaning

“Tap in with your card at the reader by the bus door.”

In context