Suzanne Humphries
In a new collaboration with Google Pay, Google Maps just became even more versatile. The app, which is already useful for a variety of purposes—from getting directions to booking a workout class—now has a tool that will allow you to pay for parking directly from the app, stopping you from having to touch gross public parking lot payment machines.
This collaboration was designed by Google to reduce the number of public surfaces you’ll need to touch to help keep you clean and safe during the COVID-19. However, it’s also one that just makes sense and will remain useful and welcome once the pandemic ends.
To pay for your parking spot from the app, open Google Maps and tap on the “Pay for Parking” button that should pop up once you’re in the lot. From there, all you’ll need to do is enter your meter number, how long you’re planning on parking for, and “Pay.” You’ll also be able to “feed the meter” and extend your parking session from the app, as well.
The new tool also allows you to pay for transit fares for over 80 transit agencies from the app. This is perfect for spending a day wandering downtown or lengthy vacations alike. You can purchase your fare even before you arrive at the station and you’ll be given the option to pay with cards already linked to your Google Pay account. From there, all you’ll need to do is tap your phone on the reader or show your digital ticket from the app.
Google stated that the parking lot pay feature starts rolling out today on Android in over 400 cities in the U.S. (including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Boston, Cincinnati, Houston, and more), and that iOS support will follow shortly after. The transit fare pay feature will expand to 80 agencies globally on Android sometime within the next few weeks.
Source: Google
