Governor Chris Christie announced today that NJ Transit has teamed up with Google to provide support for Google Wallet. The technology, available on limited Android phones, lets users tap and pay for transactions using their smartphone. NJ Transit will support the technology at selection locations, including some Route 126 Buses.

“Our partnership with Google demonstrates that NJ TRANSIT and the State are at the forefront of emerging technology, paving the way for further exploration of new customer service technologies,” said Governor Christie. “I’m proud that New Jersey’s public transportation system is the very first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, joining thousands of retailers accepting Wallet across the nation.”

According to a release from NJ Transit, the technology uses “near field communication” (NFC), which enables wireless data transmission between two objects when they are brought in close proximity with one another. Google Wallet is available on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G phone. Additional phones will be released in the future with NFC technology.

Additional locations that will accept Google Wallet include at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and ticket windows, Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station (AirTrain), on bus route nos. 6, 43, 80, 81, 87, and 120.

The good news is technology will deployed at no cost to NJ Transit due to a public-private partnership with Google.

We at The Boken personally can’t wait until the day we can stop buying paper tickets.