Google and Australian fintech company Littlepay are helping public transport operator Go-Ahead provide better passenger experiences when using Google Pay.

Passengers are able to opt-in to a service that brings Go-Ahead’s brand into the Google Wallet for the first time, and provides passengers with a wealth of information.

Passengers on Brighton & Hove Buses in the UK will be the first to see directly on their phone the travel and payment history and see progress towards the next fare cap and the savings being made.

“Being able to communicate in real time with passengers as part of the pay-as-you-go [PAYG] experience is a huge leap forward,” said Paul Griffin, head of commercial at Littlepay (littlepay.com). “This project will benefit riders, giving them visibility of savings made through PAYG. It also gives operators a pathway to develop relationships with PAYG passengers and create a real sense of membership and valued loyalty. Littlepay is delighted to be first to market with Google Pay on this important initiative.”

Since launching contactless payments with Littlepay in 2017, Go-Ahead has seen significant adoption. Over 80% of passengers now pay digitally for their travel. Over the years, Littlepay and Go-Ahead have provided contactless alternatives to a wide variety of travel products such as weekly caps, flexible fares, time-based fares and even multi-operator capping. Riders have long been receiving savings from capping but are often unaware of how and when these benefits are being provided.

“Paying for transit using Google Pay is quick, easy and secure,” said Jonathan Hill, head of transit partnerships at Google Pay (pay.google.com). “By teaming up with Littlepay and Brighton & Hove Buses we are enabling Google Wallet users to track their spending and progress towards daily, weekly or monthly travel caps. We want to help people feel more in control of their spending and encourage use of sustainable transport.”

Simply notifying passengers when their ride is free is a step forward and should motivate greater use of public transport for riders that regularly reach daily, weekly or monthly caps. For time-based caps, allowing passengers to track their time validity directly in Google Wallet should give riders confidence to travel knowing they won’t be charged again.

“Most of our passengers are already using digital or contactless payment methods, so it makes sense for us to trial new ways in which we can enhance our customers’ journey,” said Nick Hill, commercial director at Brighton & Hove Buses. “With 60 million passengers on our buses a year, the customer experience is a top priority.”

For the transit operator, the Google Wallet experience provides a sense of membership and loyalty but without any of the overheads and friction associated with a traditional loyalty programme. The scheme also serves as a conduit for the operator to provide targeted updates about changes and delays within the network.

The debut of this feature will take place at Go-Ahead’s Brighton & Hove Buses, offering commuters transparency and convenience in tracking their travel spending.

“We are excited to join forces with Google to bring this groundbreaking feature to our passengers,” said Kanwar Brar, Go-Ahead’s chief information officer. “This initiative reflects our commitment to leveraging technology to enhance the customer experience and make public transportation more accessible and user-friendly. We believe this partnership will set a new standard for the industry, reinforcing our dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction.”

Go-Ahead (www.go-ahead.com) is a passenger transport company based in England. Most of its operations are within the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Norway and Germany.