UK-based bus operator First Group has collaborated with ITSO Transit Hub to offer mobile ticketing services through Google Pay.
The ITSO-compatible mobile ticketing service will enable bus passengers to purchase tickets using their Android mobile phones.
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Currently, the service is undergoing trials with First Bus Glasgow before a general rollout.
The technology integrates with mobile ticketing services provider Corethree to deliver First Bus tickets from the operator’s app to the passenger’s Google Pay wallet.
Subsequently, the digital ticket is authenticated by on-board Ticketer-supplied validator machines.
ITSO Transit Hub director Steve Wakeland said: “Smartphones are central to our busy lives and giving bus passengers the option to use their phone as both ticket machine and ticket eliminates the need to carry a paper ticket or find the right cash to pay before boarding.
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By GlobalData“By adding an ITSO travel card to Google Pay, users can reload funds and purchase tickets from their mobile device, so they can get rid of physical cards or paper tickets entirely. Passengers can now buy tickets anytime, anywhere while significantly reducing boarding times.
“We look forward to working with all the partners to further drive mobile ticketing adoption.”
First Group CIO Dave Lynch said: “We see mobile ticketing as a central part of making our network up-to-date and frictionless.
“This collaboration with ITSO Transit Hub Ltd and Google Pay is helping us achieve our goal of providing the best possible travel experience for our passengers.”
