A collaboration between Google Pay and Nexus, the public body which operates the Metro, means customers can now get Pay As You Go travel on Android smartphones. Passengers are now able to load a Pop travel card into Google Pay on their smartphone, and then use it to touch in and out of the Metro system. 

Nexus said today’s launch of Pop Pay As You Go on Android would transform how people access the Metro network, and enjoy the savings that the Pay As You Go product offers. In order to use Pop Pay As You Go on Android, customers just need to add the Pop card, with value loaded, from within their Google Pay app.

Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “Pop Pay As You Go on Android will transform how our customers can pay for their travel using Google Pay, and this will make it even easier for people to access the Tyne and Wear Metro. Two-thirds of Metro customers tell us they are keen to move to smart phones as a way to pay for their journeys, and today we are making that possible for Android users.”

The project is a collaboration between Nexus, Google, mobile ticketing provider Yotra, ticketing and gating supplier Scheidt and Bachmann, and Newcastle-based software company, Nebula Labs, who built the smartphone app.

Customers using their smartphone to travel will no longer need to queue for ticket machines or carry paper tickets or plastic smartcards. However, customers can continue to use contactless payment using a bank card or smart device, as well as cash and credit/debit cards, to purchase a ticket or top up their Pop card at Metro ticket machines.