Community Corner

Google Opens 'Wallet' for NJTransit Customers

Allows commuters to pay tickets using phone app.

Riders on some of NJTransit's trains and buses now can grab their phones instead of change to pay for their trips.

The public transportation agency announced Wednesday it partnered with Google to bring the technology company's app-based Wallet payment system to customers. is the first mass transit system in the U.S. to use Google Wallet.

The free smartphone app allows riders who download it to wave their phone in front of a sensor to pay fares.

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This option, though, is limited to ticket vending machines and buses that have near field communication, or NFC, technology to transmit the payments wirelessly. That significantly shrinks riders' options to use Google Wallet, making it available only at New York Penn Station and Newark Liberty International Airport, as well as on bus routes 6, 43, 80, 81, 87 and 120, with limited access on 126.

"We are putting the latest technology to work for our customers and improve the overall customer experience," said NJTransit Executive Director James Weinstein in a statement. "By partnering with Google, we are leading the industry with emerging technologies that will streamline the way customers buy their transportation tickets."

Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Google Wallet is designed to replace a traditional wallet by storing credit card information within a smartphone app. The consumer uses the app to pay for purchases by tapping or waving a phone in front of an electronic reader. Wallet already is in use at some retail stores nationwide, including American Eagle, Foot Locker and OfficeMax.

But there are some caveats: the app is only available on Sprint's Nexus S 4G phone; it only supports Citi MasterCards; and it is only available where payments are made using NFC technology. For users who don't have a Citi card, a Google prepaid card is available for use with existing credit cards. 

Nathan Tyler, a Google spokesman, said the Sprint phone is the sole, current smartphone with the technology needed to keep credit cards secure. He said Google Wallet plans to support more phones, credit cards, coupons and mass transit tickets "in the future."

Despite the limitations, some commuters said they might use the app.

Cicely Nash, 30, and Erin Roese, 27, waited Wednesday afternoon in South Orange for a train to New York. Though the South Orange station does not have the technology for Google Wallet, Nash said she would use the app at Penn Station if it cuts down time waiting in line to buy a ticket, "Everything is so accessible now on the phone."

Roese, who said she uses her credit card to pay for a ticket, said she would consider using the app because "it's one less thing to carry around."

Neither woman had the required Sprint phone.

Tyler said Google approached NJTransit about Wallet, but declined to elaborate why the company chose the nation's third largest mass transit system, citing business practices. "We feel strongly that using mobile payments in a transit environment can make commuting faster," he said.

Penny Bassett-Hackett, an NJTransit spokeswoman, said the agency plans to install more NFC-able machines for Wallet users by the end of the year, starting with the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York.

Tyler said Google decided to implement Wallet with mass transit after witnessing several Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea, use NFC technology for train fares. For now, though, he said Wallet is available only in the U.S.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here