Paris Metro bank card payments add backup option

Paris Metro bank card payments will be extended to lines 15, 16, 17, and 18 after Île-de-France Mobilités tested the system at Aéroport d’Orly station on Line 14.

The Paris region transport authority has confirmed that the payment option will be introduced on the future ⁠Grand Paris Express network. The move follows the deployment of the solution at the exit gates of Aéroport d’Orly, a station serving Orly Airport and used by many tourists and other occasional passengers.

The technology was developed by Hitachi Rail, part of Japan’s Hitachi Group. It is designed to make access to public transport simpler and to help passenger movement through the network run more smoothly.

Paris Metro bank card payments move beyond Orly

At Orly, people who do not regularly use the network can ⁠pay for a journey directly with a bank card or smartphone. This means they do not need to use ticket machines.

Hitachi Rail says the solution uses a centralized setup combining a dedicated back office and a secure payment gateway. The aim is to keep transactions quick, dependable, and easy for passengers.

The Orly Airport deployment was tested in real operating conditions in early July. One of its purposes was to make it easier for tourists to exit the metro network.

During the first year, the station could record around 400,000 validations made by bank card.

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Grand Paris Express lines will receive the system

After the Orly trial, the payment system is set to be introduced gradually on lines 15, 16, 17, and 18. These routes are central parts of the Grand Paris Express network.

The new lines are designed to reshape mobility across the Paris region by linking suburbs around the capital without requiring passengers to travel through central Paris.

For Hitachi Rail, the Orly installation represents the first use of this system on the Île-de-France metro network and the first such deployment on a Paris metro line. It also serves as preparation for the future Grand Paris Express rollout.

The company says the approach should support a smoother travel experience, especially for passengers who use public transport only occasionally and may not know which ticket to buy or how to use ticket machines.

Hitachi Rail and Île-de-France Mobilités continue ticketing work

Île-de-France Mobilités and Hitachi Rail have worked together for years on ticketing modernization, maintenance, and development across the regional transport system.

Their cooperation includes station validation equipment, parts for on-board bus ticketing systems, and dedicated projects. One of these is the ticketing system for Cable 1, the planned cable car line in the Paris region.

Hitachi Rail is also participating in ⁠ticketing work for Grand Paris Express lines 15 to 18.

“The implementation at Orly confirms passengers’ growing interest in simple and intuitive access solutions. By enabling payment with a bank card, we are helping to remove barriers to using public transit, allowing travel with a simple, everyday gesture,” said Jérôme Sicard, director of the ticketing division at Hitachi Rail France.

A payment option for occasional riders

The bank card solution is not intended to replace every existing payment method. Instead, it adds to the systems that Île-de-France Mobilités began introducing in 2019.

Its main users are expected to be tourists, occasional passengers, and people who rarely travel on the Paris transit network. For these passengers, direct card payment can reduce time spent at ticket machines and lower the risk of selecting the wrong ticket.

At an airport station such as Aéroport d’Orly, this simplification can affect passenger flows, especially during busy periods.

What changes for passengers?

For passengers, the main change is not a new fare system but an additional way to pay when they do not already have the right ticket. Île-de-France Mobilités presents bank-card validation as a backup option for very occasional users, including tourists, alongside existing tools such as Navigo Easy, the Île-de-France Mobilités app and digital wallets. The official guidance also notes an important limitation: the bank-card option does not include transfers and is charged above standard ticket prices. At Aéroport d’Orly, this makes the system most relevant for passengers leaving the metro who need to pay directly at the station exit instead of returning to a ticket machine.

By extending the system to the Grand Paris Express, Île-de-France Mobilités is preparing for a metro network where access is closer to the contactless payment models already used in other large urban transport systems.

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