New Yorkers get a peek into the future of public mobility

The ease of technology is centralising all services. Today, your smartphone or smartwatch can do banking transactions, buy and sell goods, connect you to people around the world, track your health, and a whole lot more. It has removed the necessity to carry credit cards or cash, and is now doing away with the need for travel cards, integrating them in your phone.

US has been slower to adopt contactless cards and mobile payments. However, New York is now giving people the opportunity to travel on the subway with an app on their phone. It’s as simple as holding the smartphone or watch near the turnstile, and one is good to go. It also allows them to credit their account online.

This technology already exists in London, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Sydney. Earlier in May, Portland, Oregon launched a full-scale Apple Pay integration on its transit system, officially before NYC got to step onto the subway future.

However, given its recent roll-out, and enormous public transport crowd in New York, is it likely to have glitches. It will also take many people some time to trust the system and be assured of its security.

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