One of Paris’s iconic sights, and a popular cheap souvenir is about to disappear as the Metro changes over from its traditional ticket to a new electronic contact pass dubbed ‘Navigo Easy.’ It’s similar to London’s Oyster Card.
The new pass will cost the same €1.90 per ride or €14.90 for ten rides as the current tickets, but will dispense with paper altogether. Users will tap the card on a reader at each turnstile, just as weekly and monthly Navigo pass users do now. There will be a €2 one-time charge for the refillable card. By September, it will be possible to top up the cards via smartphone, but only certain phones.
Photo: clogsilk/Flickr
The old tickets—550 million of which were sold last year—will continue to be valid for another year, but after June 12, they will not be sold. The tickets, with changes in color, wording and of course price, have been used since the first Metro line opened in 1900.
