Bulletins

Google is adding more ways to pay for parking and transit

Google Maps announced on Wednesday that Android users will now have the ability to pay for street parking and transit fares right from their phones. The feature will be available to iPhone users in the coming weeks.

Google partnered with Passport and ParkMobile on the parking feature; people can pay their meter right from driving navigation in Maps, and avoid touching the meter altogether. Drivers would tap "pay for parking," enter in their parking space number, confirm their vehicle color and enter in how long they plan to use the spot. The parking time can also be extended from the app.

Pay for parking starts rolling out on Wednesday in more than 400 cities in the U.S., including Boston, Cincinnati, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C.

Google said Android users will also soon be able to buy transit passes from Google Maps. Metro transit riders in major cities will eventually see a prompt that allows them to pay their fare ahead of time on their phone and tap the turnstile as they enter the subway. Apple's iPhone already has built-in Express Transit options supported by some transit lines in the U.S.

Penelope Blackwell

Penelope Blackwell is a reporting fellow at Protocol covering edtech. She reports on the developments in tech that are shaping the future of learning. Previously, she interned at The Baltimore Sun covering emerging news and produced content for Carnegie-Knight's News21 documenting hate and bias incidents in the U.S. She is also a recent graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and Morgan State University.

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