Google has entered into a new partnership with New Jersey Transit to allow its riders to use their mobile phones to tap and pay for their commute on busses and railways.
This agreement makes NJ Transit the first public transportation company to take a step into the brand new Google Wallet program, which is still in its infancy.
To start, commuters will be able to use Google Wallet at the ticket vending machine windows at certain bus routes, New York Penn Station, and at Newark Liberty International Airport Railway Station.
In order to take advantage of this new service, travelers will need to have both a Sprint Nexus S 4G mobile phone and either a Google pre-paid card or a Citi MasterCard credit card.
Chris Christie, the Governor of New Jersey, explained the decision by stating that the partnership formed between NJ Transit and Google clearly shows that the public transit system and the state are at the height of the latest available technologies, opening the door for greater investigation into new ways to provide customers with improved services using technology.
Vice president of commerce at Google, Stephanie Tilenius, added to the governor’s statement by explaining that “Transit is the fastest way to accelerate adoption and reach usage density in major urban centers by habituating the behavior of tapping and paying with phones.” She went on to say that Google is excited about their upcoming launch of the New Jersey Transit mobile payment systems.
