One of the benefits of technology is to make our life a bit more convenient. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing as some think depends on your world view. But if you’re all for making things easier, these new features from Google apps will be interesting to you. Google Pay has now added New York, particularly the Metropolitan Transport Authority vehicles, to its supported transit agencies. If you like ordering in to avoid crowded restaurants, Google Assistant, Search, and Maps now lets you order food from supported services.
Google Pay has previously supported various transit agencies in 30 locations around the world, letting commuters use their mobile phones to pay for their train or bus ride. Now they’re adding the MTA in New York as part of their contactless payment fare system called OMNY. They’re starting out with a public pilot by next week which includes the Staten Island buses and subway stations along the 4-5-6 lines between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue – Barclay Center. For the “pay per ride” feature on Google Play, you don’t need to open the app or even unlock your phone and you’ll spend the same as a single ride MetroCard.
Google Assistant also now has a real-time transit feature for the MTA. You can just ask “Hey Google, when’s the next train?” and it will give you an ETA as well as walking directions. Later on, Google Maps will also be able to tell you which routes will accept Google Pay as payment. You’ll see the information when you look up directions. And if you don’t have Google Pay yet, you can set it up right from the Maps app. This integration with Pay and Maps will also roll out to other destinations including Melbourne’s miky transit system and London’s TfL.
Meanwhile, over on Google Assistant, Search, and Maps, you will now be able to find and order food from services like DoorDash, Postmates, Delivery.com, Slice, and ChowNow. They will be adding mores services like Zuppler soon. When you’re looking for restaurants or cuisines on Search or Maps, you’ll see an “Order Online” button if it’s part of the participating services. You’ll be able to order directly from the apps and check out with Google Pay.
You can also now let your Google Assistant do your ordering for you. You can just say “Hey Google order food from ________” or if you just want to replicate your previous order, say “Hey Google, reorder food from _______”. It will pull up your past orders and you can easily choose which one you want to order again.
