When you take public transport, you must have a ticket or a subscription card which can be cumbersome to transport. We explain how to integrate it into your smartphone.
It is possible, thanks to a free application, to use your transport ticket directly from your smartphone. With NFC technology, you can also recharge your Navigo pass. It is now possible to buy tickets from your smartphone, but also to use your phone directly as if it were a Navigo pass if it is equipped with NFC technology. You also have the option of recharging your Navigo pass from your smartphone. As a reminder, NFC (Near Field Communication) technology is the one with which your bank card works for contactless payment, without the need for any application. Just bring the two brackets together. In concrete terms, the majority of recent telephones are equipped with this technology. Android phones have NFC from Android version 6.0. As for iPhones, they are compatible from iPhone7 with at least iOS 13 or iOS 14.5 for iPhone XR, XS and XS Max.
Add a transport ticket on the phone
The Navigo service, with the Ile-de-France Mobilités application, allows your NFC smartphone to consult your Navigo pass and load tickets into it. In concrete terms, go to the “”Purchase”” tab of the application, select “”On my Navigo pass”” and follow the guide to choose the transport ticket you need. Apply the Navigo pass to the back of your phone. You can then pay either by credit card or, where applicable, with the Samsung Pay or Apple Pay services. To add the ticket directly to your phone, select “”On my phone”” in the Ile-de-France Mobilités application and continue in the same way.
Also in Ile-de-France, you have the possibility of obtaining a ticket for traveling by bus in the form of an SMS (or TAB-SMS). To obtain this virtual ticket which costs 2 euros, all you have to do is text the word BUS to 93100, taking care to add the number of the line you are going to take (for example, BUS52 or BUS34). You will then obtain a transport ticket valid for one hour directly on your mobile. Please note, only valid for buses, this ticket does not allow transfers.
Phones compatible with this ticket
Almost all recent smartphones are compatible with transport tickets as long as they are equipped with NFC technology. For example, are compatible:
- the Samsung Galaxy A51 and all versions A8, A70, A71, A80, S8 and following or the Samsung Note 9 and following as well as the Z Flip and Z-Fold;
- l’Oppo A72 ;
- le Xiaomi MI 10T Pro 5G…
On the other hand, even with these few models equipped with the NFC system, it is certain telephone operators, virtual operators (such as NRJ Mobile, La Poste Mobile, Auchan Telecom, etc.), which do not allow the use of these services. This is the case, for example, with the Access Ticket on Board by SMS offered by the RATP in Ile-de-France. It is therefore necessary to inquire with the different transport networks to find out to what extent your phone is or is not compatible.
Transport ticket on iPhone
Applications for traveling with a dematerialized transport ticket are available on both phones running Android and iPhones. They are found on the Play Store for the former and on the App Store for the latter. However, you will need to go through Apple Pay to be able to take public transport with your iPhone (or your Apple Watch) and this system is not yet available in France. In 2023, the system should nevertheless be available with Ile-de-France Mobilités insofar as the iPhone has NFC technology, which is the case for iPhone 7 and beyond which work with the iOS version 13 or iOS 14.5 and above.
On the other hand, recharging your Navigo pass with your NFC iPhone is already possible by going to the iOS Ile-de-France Mobilités application. Select “”Purchase””, “”On my Navigo Pass””, “”Read my pass”” and apply the card on the back of your phone to the top. Then select the recharge you want to make, the number of zones concerned, then pay either via Apple Pay, or by choosing another means of payment: the bank card. Apply the Navigo pass to the back of your smartphone again and it’s recharged!