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!