The Digital Wallet is coming to Transit

Where Google goes, others are sure to follow. And its move into smart phone e-commerce in the US is of huge significance to the future of passenger transport

Jim Baker

01 June 2011

Jim Baker is CEO at Xentrans, Inc., a wireless project management consultancy based in San Francisco and London. A C-level wireless industry veteran, Jim has been involved in many deployments of wireless technologies on passenger transportation worldwide and is a recognized industry expert on Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G convergence. He is Chair of the Technology Committee at the Joint Council on Transit Wireless Communications [http://www.transitwireless.org] that is developing a strategic plan for implementation of wireless technologies in mass transit. Contact Jim via LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jnb65] or follow him on Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/jnb65].

Swipe to pay with Google Wallet

NFC Applications

In late May Google announced its long-expected foray into smartphone e-commerce with the launch of Google Wallet, a contactless payment system that will let consumers pay for goods and services with a wave of their Android-powered phone. Using a special near-field communication (NFC) chip inside the handset, Google Wallet combines cashless payments with discount coupon, special offer and loyalty point schemes at retailers equipped with NFC terminals such as the MasterCard PayPass.

The joint...