Portland, Ore.-based TriMet is working with Google to roll out a virtual transit card available through Android Pay early next year.
Beta testing for the Hop Fastpass begins this month in the Portland region, where a group of riders will be able to load a virtual transit payment card into Android Pay to conduct contactless payments using a smartphone, matching the functionality and benefits of TriMet’s existing Hop Fastpass smart card, TriMet announced this week.
Users may purchase a youth, honored citizen or adult fare, load value for as little as a single ride, and manage rides and reloads through the Hop Fastpass mobile app. Once a user's fare payments through the app equal the cost of a month’s pass, all rides for the rest of the month are free, TriMet said in a press release.
The virtual transit card works on all TriMet, C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar transit modes, automatically deducting the cost of each ride from the rider’s balance, TriMet said in the release.
Organizations that helped TriMet develop the virtual transit card include Google; Chesapeake, Va.-based Innovations in Transportation Inc.; Denver, Colo.-based CH2M and Portland-based moovel.
