Ile-de-France Mobilités plans to introduce the use of the Navigo pass and metro tickets on iPhone, despite multiple delays and broken promises in the past.
A Parisian metro at the platform // Source: Jonathan Ferreira on Unsplash
Paris ! City of lights, of fashion, of cheese and wine, of the Eiffel Tower, of Notre-Dame and… of incredible 19th century cutting-edge technology in the field of public transport (if you have an iPhone). While half the globe is already comfortably settled in the future of the 21st century, Paris offers us to keep a foot in the past by persisting in depending on traditional metro tickets and Navigo passes (if you have an iPhone).
But don’t worry, Paris isn’t totally stuck in the 1900s. No, the technology of tomorrow has finally arrived… quite a bit late. But who really matters? It was confirmed by the boss of Île-de-France Mobilités in August 2022 that we would have the Navigo pass and metro tickets on iPhone “between June and September 2023”. It is true that this promise has been made before, and that we have often been disappointed. But this time, it’s sure, at least that’s what we are assured.
On the official site of IDFM always speaks of 2023. It is rather reassuring, even if the year 2024 is mentioned in the comments of the App Store in response to users. In short, in any case, it is already possible to load your Navigo pass from your iPhone.
Already in place on Android
And for Android users? Oh, don’t worry, you haven’t been forgotten. You can already replace your Navigo pass with your Android smartphone. Experiments have been going on for years, especially with Samsung and Orange. The final technical solution was deployed at the end of 2022.
It therefore seems that the complete dematerialization of transport tickets is about to become a reality in Paris. Say goodbye to your paper metro tickets and your plastic Navigo passes. It looks like we will finally join the 21st century in 2023. Maybe with a bit of luck, the Paris metro will be fully equipped with air conditioning before the 22nd century?
Undoubtedly, the organization of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris adds additional pressure to this technological change. As an international showcase, the Games offer Paris a unique opportunity to show the world its progress in the digitization of transport. The French capital will no doubt want to avoid the embarrassment of welcoming thousands of athletes and spectators from around the world with a public transport system that seems antiquated compared to other recent host cities.
To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.
