After numerous delays, Apple and the Paris Regional Transport Authority have launched support for Paris Transit Passes in Apple Wallet. This will allow him to use his iPhone or Apple Watch as his Navigo pass to ride subways, trains, trams, and buses.
With millions of people expected to descend on Paris this summer for the Olympics, this is big news for transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) For a while now, Android users have been able to use their phones as Navigo Passes.
The integration with Apple is also the result of years of negotiations with the technology company. IDFM does not rely on Apple Pay, Visa, or Mastercard to enable this feature. Instead, the iPhone uses a built-in NFC chip to emulate a Navigo card.
Yesterday I created a virtual Navigo pass and used it to ride the subway and it worked as expected. There are two ways to create a virtual Navigo pass: you can create it from the official Transit Authority app or directly in Apple Wallet.
Adding a transportation pass is very easy for tourists who don't want to download another app. Open the Wallet app and tap the + button to add your Navigo card. You can then purchase one or more tickets and pay with Apple Pay.
When you ride the subway, you can use your iPhone to “tap to ride.” Double-click the side button on your iPhone and select Navigo Pass or enable Express mode. In the latter case, when you tap your iPhone near the reader, your Navigo pass is automatically selected without you having to unlock or wake your iPhone.
Every time you use your iPhone as a transit pass, you'll receive a notification letting you know how many tickets are left. You can also view that information in the Wallet app and purchase additional tickets whenever you need.
This new feature also supports power reserve, allowing you to use your transit pass in Express Mode for several hours even if the battery runs out, and if you lose your device, you can remotely lock it using the Find My app from another device, which will disable Express Mode.
Therefore, if you are a tourist and visit Paris, you no longer need to go to the ticket machine. However, if you live in Paris and have a yearly subscription to Liberté+, you will not be able to add transit passes to your Apple Wallet until 2025.
In other Paris news, Apple has also added real-time traffic information. Most people use Citymapper or Bonjour RATP to get around the city, but now you can tap on a train station or bus stop to see when the next departure is. This summer, Apple will also be adding his 3D renderings of the Paris Summer Games venue.