Following a delay of more than a year, public-transit riders will soon be able to pay their fares by tapping their credit or debit cards.

Two dozen Bay Area transit-system operators on Wednesday will begin accepting contactless credit and debit cards for fare payments , in addition to the ubiquitous blue plastic Clipper cards and the mobile equivalents used in digital wallets on smartphones.

“Preparations for this voyage have taken a lot longer than originally expected,” said John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Transportation officials said the new cloud-based payment system will enhance commuters’ travels by eliminating wait times when loading funds and offering discounted transfers between agencies. Technical upgrades will also let users mana

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