Apple Wallet App Gaining Support for Transit Cards in Paris and Toronto

[MacRumors]

Apple has announced that the Navigo transit card can be added to the Wallet app starting today, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch users to simply tap their devices to pay for rides on the metro, trains, buses, and more in the Paris, France area.

With the Navigo card in the Wallet app, a rider no longer needs to visit a ticket vending machine, or reload the card at retailers. Instead, passes can be purchased directly in the Wallet app on the iPhone, or in the Île-de-France Mobilités app.

Apple also announced that real-time transit information for the Paris area will be available in Apple Maps starting this week. This feature will allow riders to view detailed schedules, live departure and arrival times, delays, outages, and any connections required to complete a trip across multiple transit systems.

In related news, it was recently announced that the PRESTO transit card in the Toronto, Canada area will soon support the Wallet app too.

In both cities, the transit cards will support Express Mode, meaning that riders can simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a payment reader to pay for their ride, without needing to unlock or wake the device. Express Mode continues to work for up to five hours after an iPhone has run out of battery power.

Thanks, Apollo Zhao!

Article Link: Apple Wallet App Gaining Support for Transit Cards in Paris and Toronto

 

[Minato1990]

Too bad it won't happen in Montreal until 2045 at this rate.
God damn you Quebec.

 

[fwmireault]

Too bad it won't happen in Montreal until 2045 at this rate.
God damn you Quebec.

2045? That’s an optimistic timeline

 

[ppetrovic]

Can't wait to try this out in Paris next month. It was about time.

 

[Bob Bobberson]

I have the Navigo card when I travel to Paris. When I try to add it while I'm at home in the States, it doesn't find it in the search even though I have the app on my phone. I must return to Paris to add it as a transit card it seems.

 

[kerr]

Now do Australia (Sydney and Melbourne).

 

[Evan Davis]

I have the Navigo card when I travel to Paris. When I try to add it while I'm at home in the States, it doesn't find it in the search even though I have the app on my phone. I must return to Paris to add it as a transit card it seems.

You don’t need to use the app or your existing card.

Just go into Wallet and hit the + button, then Travel Card, scroll down to France.

It’ll then give you the ticket options. A new virtual card is generated by the Wallet app after payment.

 

[bobbyjack]

Great, I was thinking about it and hoping for it today when I took the metro. Nice surprise

Edit : This is not for regular subscribers, so it's unnecessary for the majority of Parisians....

 

[itti]

Just in time for the Olympics!

 

[coolfactor]

Too bad it won't happen in Montreal until 2045 at this rate.
God damn you Quebec.

It is a slow rollout, eh? I'm surprised by this announcement. I figured these big cities would've already been supported.

I bet you the delays are caused by contract negotiations. Money, money, money.

 

[nebo1ss]

I have the Navigo card when I travel to Paris. When I try to add it while I'm at home in the States, it doesn't find it in the search even though I have the app on my phone. I must return to Paris to add it as a transit card it seems.

This is very nice, but I can already add the Navigo card to the app on my iPhone and purchase tickets online which end up on the card. No need to visit a vending machine. However, it will be nice to have it in the wallet and not have to fish out the card. I will be in Paris next week so will use the WALLET. Just to be clear the app I am referring too is Bonjour RATP.

 

[Evan Davis]

This is very nice, but I can already add the Navago card to the app on my iPhone and purchase tickets online which end up on the card. No need to visit a vending machine. However, it will be nice to have it in the wallet and not have to fish out the card. I will be in Paris next week so will use the WALLET. Just to be clear the app I am referring too is Bonjour RATP.

You can still use the app, but you won't be able to add your existing card to Wallet.

Wallet allows you to buy (using Apple Pay only) the ticket or pass in that app and then creates a virtual card to use with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

It seems designed more for irregular/tourist use.

 

[dlewis23]

The more the better.

 

[adrianlondon]

I have the Navigo card when I travel to Paris. When I try to add it while I'm at home in the States, it doesn't find it in the search even though I have the app on my phone. I must return to Paris to add it as a transit card it seems.

Unfortunately, the new functionality is for creating a totally new, virtual, wallet-Navigo. I also have an existing card and there's no way to transfer the remaining credit/carnet to the wallet.

There's a €2 deposit on the physical card I own which I don't think one can get refunded if I decide to move over to the virtual/wallet version, so I'll just stick with using the card for now.

This is quite different to other cards, such as Octopus (Hong Kong) and Pasmo (Japan) which scanned the cards and took the remaining credit from the physical cards to the new virtual ones.

 

[nebo1ss]

You can still use the app, but you won't be able to add your existing card to Wallet.

Wallet allows you to buy (using Apple Pay only) the ticket or pass in that app and then creates a virtual card to use with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

It seems designed more for irregular/tourist use.

Yes you are spot on I did as you outlined and purchased five tickets. I have 2 cards on Wallet one of which is a multi currency card so was able to pay in Euro's
Excellent.

 

[smithrh]

Now do Australia (Sydney and Melbourne).

I had no problem just tapping in and out with ApplePay when I was in Sydney 18 months ago...

So for the casual traveller it's "there" but I can see it being bad if things like monthly/annual passes aren't linked for people who live there and commute/use the system on the regular.

 

[smithrh]

You can still use the app, but you won't be able to add your existing card to Wallet.

Wallet allows you to buy (using Apple Pay only) the ticket or pass in that app and then creates a virtual card to use with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

It seems designed more for irregular/tourist use.

Well, the Olympics are coming, so... yeah. Still a win.

 

[ppetrovic]

If the virtual Navigo card can get transferred to a new phone once you upgrade your device just like all other cards in  Pay can then the initial 2 EUR deposit is negligible in the long run.

 

[Evan Davis]

If the virtual Navigo card can get transferred to a new phone once you upgrade your device just like all other cards in  Pay can then the initial 2 EUR deposit is negligible in the long run.

There's no €2 deposit/fee for the virtual card. Only the physical plastic card has that fee.

I'd expect that if you got a new iPhone, you might not (or maybe you might) be able to transfer the card. You'd just get a new virtual card. Not sure what would happen to your 10 ticket carnet if you had bought one of them and had to replace your iPhone if the virtual card can't be transferred over.

 

[ppetrovic]

Oh I thought you need to pay a 2 EUR deposit for a virtual card as well, but good to know you don't. I know I did have to pay the deposit for a physical one back in the day.

I guess we'll need to wait a bit until someone tries to transfer all the cards to the new phone to see if Navigo can be transferred as well. Not that I travel to Paris that often but why lose a single cent if you don't have to.

 

[Evan Davis]

Well, the Olympics are coming, so... yeah. Still a win.

If you are going to the Olympics and plan to use individual tickets rather than the Olympic Pass, it'll be cheaper for you to buy them before July 20. After that day and for the duration of the Olympics and Paralympics, ticket prices are almost doubling (from €2.15 to €4)

More info here: https://www.europe-consommateurs.eu...ate-to-english-public-transport-in-paris.html

Carnet tickets don't expire, so they can be used on subsequent trips to Paris.

 

[teewuane]

Was riding the metro in Paris today, it all the sudden stopped and they kicked everyone out. Apparently the workers were striking to get more bonus money for the olympics. That seriously inconvenienced a lot of people. I guess it's a pretty common thing though? Hoping we can use these tomorrow because their little paper tickets are a joke and half the time don't work!

 

[ppetrovic]

Oh yes, strikes are very common in Paris these days. Better get used to it. Nothing a Wallet.app on your phone can help you with, unfortunately.

 

[Evan Davis]

I’ve just made a purchase of 10 tickets in advance of a trip to the Olympics in August.

Screenshots are attached.

A few things to note.

1. The card is automatically added to Wallet after payment
2. If the card adding fails, it’ll be available to add later. You won’t lose your card.
3. You can have both the Travel Card AND a debit/credit card active in Express Transit. It’ll use whichever one is valid in the transit system you are using.
4. You can be notified when you are running low on tickets
5. There’s a tab for transactions.

 

[Yptcn]

You can still use the app, but you won't be able to add your existing card to Wallet.

Wallet allows you to buy (using Apple Pay only) the ticket or pass in that app and then creates a virtual card to use with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

It seems designed more for irregular/tourist use.

Exactly , I just had a look at it , it is indeed mainly for tourists or occasional travellers . Too bad I can't add the tickets I already have on my card ...