Commuters board an NJ Transit train in this 2009 photo. The agency has partnered with Google Wallet to ease fare payments at New York Penn Station and Newark Liberty Airport Station.NEWARK — For NJ Transit train riders at New York Penn Station and the Newark Liberty International Airport station and bus riders on select routes, payment is just a tap away.
NJ Transit is the first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, allowing customers to wave their smart phones in front of a sensor to pay — sparing them the hassle of fishing for cash or credit cards.
The free app is available on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G phone.
The "contactless payment" options are available at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and windows, at the the airport rail station (AirTrain), on bus routes 6, 43, 80, 81, 87 and 120 and on some buses on the 126 line, NJ Transit announced yesterday.
"I’m proud that New Jersey’s public transportation system is the very first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, joining thousands of retailers accepting Wallet across the nation," Gov. Chris Christie said in a statement.
Google Wallet, which stores virtual versions of credit cards on phones, makes use of "near field communication" to allow transmission between the phone and sensor.
Plans down the road are to expand the program to additional Android devices with near field communication capabilities.
"By partnering with Google, we are leading the industry with emerging technologies that will streamline the way customers buy their transportation tickets," NJ Transit executive director Jim Weinstein said.
Despite a mediocre overall score of 5.3 on a scale of 0 to 10 for its latest customer satisfaction survey, NJ Transit received its highest mark for "payment options," getting a 6.7.
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