The RATP continues its digital transition by removing the famous magnetic ticket, gradually withdrawn from sale by Ile-de-France Mobilités. Update on the various digital solutions to replace it… and find your way around.

Cardboard t+ ticket: why switch to dematerialized transport tickets?

The end of the t+ ticket in physical version is carried out in several stages. First, the booklets were removed from the vending machines of around a hundred stations in October 2021, then from around 180 other stations in October 2022. The gradual end of the sale of cardboard t+ ticket booklets to all ATMs and counters of the RATP network is planned for the course of 2023. In addition, t+ ticket booklets and Origin/Destination tickets – which allow travel in the suburbs – are no longer available from RATP approved merchants (bookstores, press points, tobacco…).

The end of the cardboard t+ ticket meets several objectives. First of all, dematerialization solves the problem of demagnetization since, each year, nearly 5 million tickets are demagnetized due to their proximity to keys or coins. Not only does this put users in an embarrassing situation, since they then find themselves in front of the gates without a ticket, but it also creates unnecessary waste. Ditto for the many lost tickets, which expose travelers to a fine in the event of control. The RATP estimates that one ticket in ten on average is not used because lost, damaged or forgotten. Gathering all the transport tickets in one place – on a pass or a smartphone – means being sure to find them and use them. The goal is also ecological, because the physical tickets represent several tens of millions of tickets each year, and therefore as much waste that can be avoided.

Finally, it is a question of making validation faster on several levels: at the time of purchase, in order to prevent there being too many queues at the vending machines in stations and stations – especially at the time of the Olympic Games in 2024, when not everyone will be able to queue at the RATP counters to get a ticket… -, and at the time of validation at the gates – and in addition this allows the respect of barrier gestures . In short, on paper, it’s just a bonus.

Cardboard Ticket+: what are the solutions to replace it?

To replace the booklet of cardboard tickets, Île-de-France Mobilités offers several solutions such as the use of its smartphone or the Navigo pass, a card to be purchased at the station in advance and rechargeable directly via the Île-de-France Mobilités applications and Hello RATP. As in the past, it is still possible to top up from ticket offices and automats in stations and stations, as well as from authorized merchants. But all these digital alternatives will have to convince travelers, who still buy today more than half of their “one-off” cardboard tickets.

Navigo pass: what are the different packages?

There are several types of Navigo passes in order to adapt to the needs of the user. The first is the Navigo Liberté + pass, which allows you to travel on the metro, RER, bus and tram by validating your card each time you pass. The cardholder is charged the following month according to the number of trips he has “consumed”. Each journey is priced at €1.49, but the traveler cannot be charged more than €7.50 per day. Holders of “classic” or “personalized” Navigo passes, i.e. with Day, Week, Month or Annual passes, can make unlimited journeys and are billed according to the predefined sum – respectively €7.50/ day, €30/week and €84.10/month. All these subscriptions can be topped up at terminals, at ticket offices and via their smartphone with the Île-de-France Mobilités and Bonjour RATP apps, which means they can avoid waiting at the station – there are also special subscriptions, especially for students and seniors. Finally, there is the Easy pass, sold at €1.90 – but it will drop to €2.10 in 2023, inflation obliges – and can also be recharged from vending machines, counters, approved merchants and the telephone. It is simply a ticket+ but on a rechargeable card – it should therefore not be thrown away once the passage has been validated.

There is a dematerialized version of the t+ ticket which can be “stored” on your smartphone, via the Île-de-France Mobilités application, which you just need to scan for each trip. Indeed, version 8 of the IDF Mobilités application allows you to buy transport tickets – tickets, books of 10 tickets, OrlyBus and RoissyBus tickets – from your Android mobile – and also to recharge your other Navigo pass packages, with the exception of annual and Liberté+ passes and Destination tickets. Be careful, there are still many limitations, especially with the model of the device (see our practical sheet), since it must be equipped with NFC and HCE technologies. Users with an iPhone will normally have access to the same function in 2023.

For those who do not have or want neither a pass nor a smartphone, it is still possible for the moment to obtain physical t+ tickets individually. For bus journeys, the user can buy a ticket for €2 by SMS by texting “BUS”, followed by the number of the line taken to 93000. This message will serve as proof of purchase in the event of an inspection during the trip. . Please note that this “ticket” is valid for a single trip and without a connection. To find out all about this subject, consult our fact sheet.