Apple Reportedly Reached Agreement to Support Paris Metro Navigo Cards in Wallet

[MacRumors]

Apple has reached an agreement to bring support for the Paris Metro system's Smart Navigo cards to Wallet, allowing users to roam Parisian public transport with just an iPhone or Apple Watch, according to a Le Parisien report.

After talks with Île-de-France-Mobilités, France's transport authority that coordinates the different transport companies operating in Paris, Apple is said to have reached an agreement for the Paris transport network's Smart Navigo card to work on iPhone or Apple Watch, including buses and the metro system, from February 2021. Neither Apple or Île-de-France-Mobilités has confirmed this as of yet.

Smart Navigo, the city's digital mobile transit card, was launched in September 2019, but its success was mired by the need for direct secure authentication with reader gates. This is also why Apple Pay cannot currently be implemented to pay for travel on readers, since it would skirt Navigo's authentication.

Smart Navigo currently works on some Android smartphones with chips for secure authentication and NFC, but it has reportedly been unable to work on iPhones due to Apple's ring-fencing of the Secure Enclave and NFC, which would provide the necessary authentication and transmission of data.

From February, users will apparently be able to add a Smart Navigo card to Apple Wallet, enabling an iPhone or Apple Watch to facilitate travel throughout the city. Users will also be able to pre-pay for metro tickets with Apple Pay, including a weekly or monthly pass, and add it to their Navigo card in Wallet. It is also said to support Apple's Express Transit Mode.

There have been reports that the need for secure authentication with Smart Navigo will be eliminated at some point in 2021, allowing Apple Pay to be used directly to traverse public transport networks as it does in London or New York, the latter of which recently completed its rollout of Apple Pay support.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Reached Agreement to Support Paris Metro Navigo Cards in Wallet

 

[NavySilver]

That is great news! The Navigo is definitely among the most quixotic transit payment systems I've used. I had to glue a photo of me and sign off my name on the card, otherwise even if I did pay the fare I'll be fined if caught. This should eliminate that inconvenience.

Not sure if Navigo's odd reload-at-the-beginning-of-each-month-only rule still applies though...

 

[Airforcekid]

My favorite thing to collect in my college years traveling was all the metro cards from various cities kind of sad to know my kids probably wont be able to do the same. Then again I love the ease of use.

 

[tagsaid]

It still blows my mind how so much of the US adopted this, overseas has and is adopting this, yet the bloody BART and BA Metro, home to Apple, are still living on bloody clipper cards with no sign of upgrading.

 

[dontwalkhand]

It still blows my mind how so much of the US adopted this, overseas has and is adopting this, yet the bloody BART and BA Metro, home to Apple, are still living on bloody clipper cards with no sign of upgrading.

They can easily solve this with how Paris is doing it and how LA and DC did it. Put the Clipper card itself in Apple Pay

 

[dontwalkhand]

That is great news! The Navigo is definitely among the most quixotic transit payment systems I've used. I had to glue a photo of me and sign off my name on the card, otherwise even if I did pay the fare I'll be fined if caught. This should eliminate that inconvenience.

Not sure if Navigo's odd reload-at-the-beginning-of-each-month-only rule still applies though...

All of the same rules of the physical card generally applies. If anything like LA and DCs implementation

 

[alexandr]

My favorite thing to collect in my college years traveling was all the metro cards from various cities kind of sad to know my kids probably wont be able to do the same. Then again I love the ease of use.

same here. i also have a shoebox full of nyc metro cards. thinking they will make a nice wall decoration

 

[allOfSomething]

It still blows my mind how so much of the US adopted this, overseas has and is adopting this, yet the bloody BART and BA Metro, home to Apple, are still living on bloody clipper cards with no sign of upgrading.

Last I saw they were estimating 2023 for the upgrade to enable this.

 

[jz0309]

My favorite "feature" when I was in London a year ago was using my AW to get on the tube ... looking forward to using this on the Metro, if/when I ever go back there ...

 

[tmiw]

Last I saw they were estimating 2023 for the upgrade to enable this.

Then again, considering how much transit usage has fallen off a cliff over the last year, I can see that getting pushed back a fair bit.

OTOH, we might actually finish the Trolley extension here in San Diego on time or a bit early thanks to COVID making it easier to schedule road closures and such (due to less traffic on the roads from people working from home). And we're getting a new transit card/open loop payment system too with that extension. Can't wait for later this year to try it out hopefully.

 

[bviktor]

This thing can't come soon enough to every big city.

 

[york2600]

It still blows my mind how so much of the US adopted this, overseas has and is adopting this, yet the bloody BART and BA Metro, home to Apple, are still living on bloody clipper cards with no sign of upgrading.

I mean to be fair BART just barely got off the magstrip cards so give them at least another 15 years

 

[Animalk]

It appears Apple is hiring in Montreal Canada for this project I would say:

Montreal - Jobs - Careers at Apple

Explore all Montreal jobs at Apple. Create a profile and apply today.

jobs.apple.com

 

[britboyj]

Just let me scan an RFID card signal, and copy it to my wallet.

 

[Lozza013]

I wish Myki would be added so i can put it on my phone.

 

[dw2]

Finally. Dealing with the NaviGo kiosks after an overnight flight to Paris was less than ideal.

 

[kerr]

really wish transit cards in my city, Melbourne Australia, supported Apple Wallet

 

[Musocat]

This will be handy! I love having a Navigo card - it works for everything needed to get around in Paris. It even works with the Vélib' bikes by linking that account to it. It sounds like I'll be able to load up my weekly pass from my phone, before I even get off the plane.