Google Assistant and Google Pay are making navigating New York City a little easier this month thanks to new subway and bus integrations with the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Starting today, millions of NYC residents and tourists can ask Google Assistant when the next subway and bus is coming. We tried it out and have some thoughts below.
Starting May 31, Google notes that the MTA will launch its contactless payment system, OMNY (short for One Metro New York), at certain bus and metro stations. This will let users skip the time-consuming MetroCard kiosk by swiping their device instead.
The MTA transit system’s new Google Pay functionality is coming thanks to OMNY, a contactless payment system that will also support Apple Pay and contactless NFC cards when it launches next week. At launch it will be available to use on Staten Island buses and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between the Grand Central/42nd Street and Atlantic Ave/Barclays Center stops. The full system is expected to roll out next year.
Google Maps will play a part, too, letting you know which accept stations accept Google Pay in addition to offering the usual real-time tracking of trains and buses.
