Cubic and Google Pay enable transit cards for Android phones

Cubic Transportation Systems has signed an agreement with Google to integrate contactless transit cards with Google Pay to help make it faster and easier for travelers to use their mobile phones to pay for their journeys.  

The collaboration also provides transit agencies using Cubic’s revenue management systems with the full benefit of Google’s user experiences to help increase convenience and encourage ridership. The rollout of this technology can open the door for further enhancement of the contactless payment technology already available in cities such as London, New York and Miami. 

“Today’s travelers seek more choices, flexibility and personalization – which is why we strive to develop innovative mobile transit payment solutions to enable seamless and convenient travel experiences,” said Bradley Feldmann, chairman, president and CEO, Cubic Corporation. “In addition to the traveler benefits our agreement will provide, we are proud to offer a solution that will reduce costs, as well as increase efficiencies and ridership for transit agencies.” 

Cubic’s mobile platform provides travelers with new tools to manage their transit cards and enhance their journey. Passengers can 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. The technology provides a catch all for travelers to access real-time schedules for trip planning, a simplified way to purchase and select the right fare as well as real-time notifications and alerts. 

“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.” 

Matt Cole, president of Cubic Transportation Systems, added, “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. 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.” 

Cubic says Google Pay will benefit daily and occasional commuters by offering more flexibility in payment options. To use Google Pay on public transit, riders just need to hold their Android phone at the turnstiles, with no need to open the app or unlock their device. 

“This collaboration between Google and Cubic will help us build on the success we’ve seen so far with contactless payments here in New York,” said Al Putre, executive director of One Metro New York Fare Payment Program. “We want to do everything we can to make sure our riders have the best options available and the MTA welcomes this kind of innovative ticketing solution.”