Partnership with Google means passengers will soon have access to real-time travel data about their journeys – and what they have paid.
The mobility platform Arrive is working with Google to ensure that bus and tram passengers in Scotland can access real-time data about the journeys they have paid for. In coming months, once a passenger has paid for their journey using the Google Pay app on an Android device, they’ll be able to view live details on Google Wallet. All subsequent payment and journey data will be accessible, too.
Photo by Clive G / Openverse
Arrive already provides the validators and payment infrastructure for both Lothian Bus and Edinburgh Trams. That makes it relatively straightforward for Arrive to provide real-time travel payment data through the new ‘Google Transit Insights’ feature on Google Wallet. This feature has been specifically designed to suit the kind of open-payment transit systems increasingly used on public transport.
Access to this live data means passengers can better track their spending, monitor progress towards daily fare caps, view potential savings and receive direct notifications about their account or network changes from their transport operator. Google Wallet also enables proactive communication about payment issues or promotions without requiring users to download any additional apps.
Lothian Bus and Edinburgh Trams are the first transport operators to benefit from this initiative. Arrive hopes to offer it to more customers in due course.
Martin Sandström, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Arrive, says: ‘By being able to offer Google Transit Insights to our customers we are able to close an information gap both for riders and for transport operators in open payment systems and ease movement in cities for public transit users. This is a vital part of Arrive’s work to create a global mobility platform, eliminating data gaps and helping our partners see the full picture of urban mobility.’
Jonathan Hill, Head of Transit Partnerships at Google Wallet, adds: ‘Paying for transit using Google Pay has always been quick and secure. Now, by collaborating with Arrive to roll out Google Transit Insights for Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams, we are taking the experience a step further. We’re giving riders real-time visibility into their travel history and fare caps right in Google Wallet, empowering them to manage their spending effortlessly while supporting sustainable transport.’
Sarah Boyd, Chief Executive of Lothian Bus and Edinburgh Trams, says: ‘As the inaugural customer for this Arrive and Google collaboration, we are delighted to offer Google Transit Insights to our customers. Seamless, integrated ticketing across bus and tram is already enjoyed by tens of thousands of customers each day across Edinburgh and the Lothians. This latest development represents the next step in the evolution of our ticketing offering, designed to enhance the overall travel experience.
‘By introducing Google Transit Insights, we will be giving customers greater visibility of their travel patterns and spending, while making it easier to see the benefits of fare capping and the value they receive from using our services.’
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