Soon Android Google Pay users will soon be able to use their phones to pay for transit cards in cities such as San Francisco and New York after Cubic Transportation Systems inked an agreement with to be supported by Google Pay contactless payment system, today.
Cubic says Bay Area passengers will be able to “add transit cards to Google Pay, securely reload funds and purchase tickets directly from their mobile device — eliminating the need for a physical transit card.” It didn’t give a timeframe for the rollout.
The new Google Pay agreement also extends the capabilities of current systems in use in cities such as New York, Miami and London.
“Working with Cubic will help us simplify the commute for Google Pay users in several major transit systems – including support for Clipper cards in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Ambarish Kenghe, director of product management for Google Pay. “Ultimately, our goal is to make riding public transit seamless and convenient for as many people as we can.”
“We are very excited to work with Google to provide travelers with a simple and easy way to pay for transit fares with the devices they already rely on and use every day,” said Matt Cole, president of Cubic Transportation Systems. “We are pleased to leverage our industry-leading payment and information solutions as well as Google Pay’s seamless platform to enhance how people move within their cities.”*
Clipper Cards are contactless cards currently in use on on all major Bay Area transit systems, including BART.
Cubic rolled out the contactless payments in New York to Apple Pay and then Google Pay users on a per-ride basis earlier this year. The OMNY system currently operates on the 4, 5 and 6 trains between 42nd St and Barclays Center. Metropolitan Transportation Authority expects by 2023 every subway station, bus route and the Staten Island Railway to suport this new technology.
