Google Maps and transit payments are now best friends. Today Google just announced changes to Maps that will make dealing with transit payments a lot easier.
This past year has kept many people from going anywhere unless absolutely required. Say, to get essentials. But that doesn’t mean that people didn’t need to utilize public transit. Some people prefer and it and some people have no other options to get where they need to go.
With Google Maps, Google has been steadily strengthening the app’s transit-related features. Initially beginning with listed times for transit arrivals, and expanding to include other features. Most recently cost-related features.
Google is making these changes to the app in collaboration with Google Pay. If you’ve not set up a Google Pay account yet, this might be a reason to do so.
Google Maps now allows you to make transit payments in more locations within the app
It’s been possible to pay for public transit fares within Google Maps for a little while now, But today Google is expanding that capability.
There are 80 new transit agencies that will support paying for public transit fares within the Google Maps app. These agencies are spread out globally so they aren’t limited to just one area.
If payments through Google Maps are supported by the transit agency you use, you’ll see an option to pay using your credit or debit card right within the app. You can then select this as a payment option and if you already have a linked card in a Google Pay account, this is the payment method that will be used.
This feature is beginning to roll out to Android users in the coming weeks. So it’s not quite available yet. But it will be soon.
Pay for public parking
It’s also now going to be possible to pay for public parking within the app. Though this seems to be a little more limited than paying for transit fares.
Google has partnered with two different parking solution providers, Passport and ParkMobile, to allow payments without having to physically touch a parking meter. Two providers may not seem like a lot but the rollout is happening at hundreds of cities across the US.
In total you’ll be able to pay for parking through these two providers in more than 400 cities within the country. This rollout will begin with Android and head to iOS devices later this year, initially starting with cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, New York, Washington D.C., and Cincinnati just to name a few.