Paris Transport Authority Still Insists Costs Too High to Support Open Loop, but Resistance Appears to be Falling
Claude Camilli, a longtime ticketing official with Paris transport authority, Île-de-France Mobilités, when asked last week why the authority doesn’t support open-loop payments, responded that costs are too high. He added that the authority had decided a better option for customers was for IDFM to expand use of closed-loop payments with smartphones, he told Mobility Payments.
It’s a common refrain by transport-ticketing officials in Paris, which remains one of the few European capitals that has declined to launch open loop as a payments option.
Special Report–France: Strong Growth in Open Loop, but Mainly for Occasional Riders; Paris Still Missing in Action
Nearly 50 cities or regions have adopted open-loop payments in France or are scheduled to launch within the next year (see table on this page), with more in the pipeline.
It may be premature, however, to call France an open-loop hotspot like the UK and some other countries. The vast majority of French transit authorities that support open loop restrict the service to single rides.
Paris Transport Officials Announce New Ticketing Options for Olympics; Will They be Sufficient?
The recent announcement by French transport officials of their special fare passes and other ticketing measures for next year’s Olympics in Paris will likely make few people happy.
With Less Than a Year to Go Before Olympics, will Paris Transit Authority be Ready with Ticketing?
Paris regional transit authority Île-de-France Mobilités, or IDFM, has promised to enable “100% of spectators to reach Olympic and Paralympic sites by public transport” next summer during the games.
The authority, an official Olympics and Paralympics partner, has pledged to increase capacity on its transport network by 15% to handle the expected spike in ridership.