Google Maps adds some new useful features: the ability to pay for parking or buy a train ticket directly in the app.
Google Maps integrates two mobile parking payment services into its app, Passport and ParkMobile. Both offer the ability to find, pay for and replenish parking meters or parking fees through a smartphone app. The features will now also be available on Google Maps. According to the company:
Simply tap the “Pay for Parking” button that appears near your destination. Then enter your meter number, how much time you want to park and tap “Pay”. Need to add more time to your meter? Expand your parking session easily with just a few taps.
Google says the ability to pay for parking on Google Maps is available in more than 400 cities in the US, including Boston, Cincinnati, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC, and more. Android phone users will get the feature first, with iPhone owners coming soon.
Paying for public transportation works the same way. If you’re on your way to transportation directions in Google Maps, there’s an option to purchase tickets next to your results. Similar to the pay for parking feature, customers must have a Google Pay account linked to a valid credit or debit card to make the transaction.
Then customers can use their phone – either in a tap-to-pay situation or by showing a digital ticket to a conductor – to travel by public transport. And in places like the San Francisco Bay Area, customers can purchase a digital Clipper Map directly from Google Maps. The feature will be available for use in more than 80 transit systems around the world, Google says.
A number of transportation agencies around the world have modernized their toll collection rates to include contactless or affordable media such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. Some who rely on weekly or monthly passes, such as the London Oyster Card or the San Francisco Clipper Card, have also started working with Apple and Google Pay to integrate the payment card into their applications.
It’s the latest feature in Google Maps’ ongoing effort to make commuters and commuters more user – friendly. In 2019, it added new predictions about the crowd of transportation, enabling customers to see how busy their bus, train or subway is likely to be before they travel. It has also added a feature that links transportation directions to bike and ride sharing options so customers can get directions using different modes of transportation.
Google is not the only technology giant to appeal to transport drivers. Uber and Lyft recently both began integrating transportation directions into their respective programs. Customers living in Denver can even purchase train tickets with their Uber account. Both companies build sophisticated algorithms that rely on transportation agency information regarding routes and schedules. On top of that, it’s a race among technology giants to become a one-stop shop for transportation.