Google Wallet, an app that transforms your phone into your wallet, is partnering with New Jersey Transit to bring the “tap-and-pay” option to customers. “NJ Transit is the first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet,” NJ.com explains, “allowing customers to wave their smart phones in front of a sensor to pay and sparing them the hassle of fishing for cash or credit cards.”

Google Wallet is a partnership between Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint. The application is an “opportunity to strengthen customer relationships by offering a faster, easier shopping experience with relevant deals, promotions and loyalty rewards,” the project’s website explains.

The free mobile app, available currently on Sprint Nexus S 4G, enables wireless data transmission between two objects so that customers can pay their public transit fares by a simple gesture, the Wall Street Journal adds. Payments through the free mobile app also depend on Citi MasterCard or a virtual Google Prepaid Card, which can be funded by your credit card, Tom’s Guide explains.

The payment option is only available at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and windows, Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station (AirTrain), and on NJbus routes 6, 43, 80, 81, 87, 120, and 126.

“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,” NJ Governor Chris Christie said in a statement to NJ.com. “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.”

Would you use Google Wallet to pay for your transit rides? Share with us in the comments section below.