Tourists in Paris will soon be able to pay for their metro tickets directly by bank card on selected lines, public transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités has announced.
Payment terminals will first be installed at the exit of Orly Airport in the south of the French capital for Line 14 towards the city centre, from June 30.
The funicular railway up Montmartre to the famous Sacré-Cœur Basilica will offer the payment option from July 8.
Further metro lines will be upgraded in the coming years, with the option set to cover the entire rail network by 2030.
Many buses in Paris and the inner suburbs already offer this ticket-purchasing option, the transport authority said, adding that all vehicles should be equipped by the end of August.
Payment by bank card — a system similar to that already in place in London for buses and the underground — is an addition to buying tickets via the Île-de-France Mobilités app or at ticket machines, where tickets can be loaded onto a plastic Navigo Easy card (a one-off cost of €2).
Tickets purchased by bank card are slightly more expensive than the standard price: buses and the funicular carry a surcharge of €0.50 (€2.55 instead of €2.05), metro tickets a surcharge of €0.80 (€3.35 instead of €2.55) and airport tickets a surcharge of €0.80 (€14.80 instead of €14.00).
