Google’s Link to Passport Is Part of a Broader Plan to Extend Google Pay to Parking And Transit

Passport Labs Inc., a provider of transportation software, announced Wednesday it is expanding its integration with Alphabet Inc.’s Google to enable payment for parking within Google Maps in more than 400 cities, including Boston, Cincinnati, Portland, Me., Norfolk, Va., Cheyenne, Wy., Westminster, Colo., and Green Bay, Wis.

The integration of Google Maps and Google Pay into Passport’s operating system enables consumers using Google Maps on their smart phones to navigate to a destination and call up Google Pay through Google Maps to pay as they approach a parking lot. Consumers do not need to download an additional app to make use of the service. 

Passport began piloting its integration with Google Maps and last fall in Austin, Texas. Since launching the Passport program, Austin officials say the city has seen several improvements in parking, including increased consumer convenience, compliance with paying for parking, and recovered revenues.

Overall, Passport has more than 1,000 client cities, including Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Miami, as well as universities and agencies.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Passport’s expansion of its integration with Google Maps is part of a broader strategy by Google to expand the ability to pay for parking and transit fares from Google Maps using Google Pay. Google is also teaming with ParkMobile LLC  to enable payment for parking via Google Maps, according to a Google blog post on Wednesday.

In its blog, Google says it is expanding the ability for consumers to pay transit fares to more than 80 transit agencies globally. When a consumer gets directions to a transit station through Google Maps, she will see the option to pay for her fare by phone or with the credit or debit cards linked to her Google Pay account. Once the fare is purchased, the consumer can tap her phone on a card reader or show her digital ticket as she boards a train or bus.

In select cities, consumers will also be able to purchase transit cards using Google Maps. In San Francisco, for example, consumers can purchase the Clipper card, an all-in-one transit card used for contactless fare payments throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Now you’ll be able to plan your trip, buy your fare, and start riding without needing to toggle between multiple apps. You can understand how to pay in advance and even get your fare ready to go before you arrive at the station—which is helpful when you’re not sure what payment options a transit agency supports,” Google says in its blog.