Île-de-France: Credit Card to Pay for Bus Tickets
- Published on 21/11/2025 9:16
- Modified on 21/11/2025 9:17
The RATP is finally modernizing by slowly equipping its fleet of buses with contactless card payment terminals. A revolution.
Forgetting your ticket or getting on without cash should soon no longer be an obstacle in the Île-de-France buses. Île-de-France Mobilités is accelerating the modernization of its network with the introduction of a new system: purchasing a temporary ticket directly by credit card from a terminal installed on board. This development is designed to simplify the journey for travelers… but also for drivers. It also aims to limit fraud and thus improve the finances of the RATP…
The deployment of these contactless payment terminals is underway in the buses in Paris and the inner suburbs. The principle is simple: upon boarding, users can purchase up to four temporary tickets by bringing their credit card close to the terminal. A solution primarily designed for occasional travelers, tourists, or those who find themselves without their Navigo pass at the last minute.
This system complements the existing offers without replacing the titles already accessible via Navigo Easy, smartphone, or Navigo Liberté+. Île-de-France Mobilités also reminds that these options remain the most advantageous: the ticket is priced at €2 (compared to €2.5 for the metro and RER), while it is €1.60 on Liberté+, presented as the best option for irregular users.
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Less waiting… and drivers refocused on driving
The arrival of these terminals also meets a fluidity objective. Today, the sale of tickets on board can cause delays at stations and unnecessarily occupy drivers, who must manage a cash register in addition to their primary mission. By automating this task, Île-de-France Mobilités hopes to reduce these stop times and improve the commercial speed of the lines.
For drivers, this is also a welcome change: no more handling cash or managing sales, allowing for full concentration on the road.
More than 1,000 buses are already equipped, equivalent to the size of the Lyon network. Some Parisian and nearby suburban lines already feature this system, including lines 74 (Clichy – Châtelet), 66 (Saint-Ouen – Opéra), or 340 (Argenteuil – Asnières-Gennevilliers).
The timeline plans for a general rollout of the terminals across all of Paris and the inner suburbs by summer 2026, followed by deployment in the rest of the region.
A temporary solution, not a sustainable alternative
While the system promises more simplicity, Île-de-France Mobilités emphasizes its temporary role. The ticket purchased on board is not designed to replace the standard titles, which are cheaper and better suited for regular use.
Nevertheless, this innovation marks an additional step in the modernization of the Île-de-France network, which is already engaged in a transition towards smoother, dematerialized payment solutions. This could reduce instances of unintentional violations… and facilitate the daily lives of millions of travelers.
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This page is translated from the original post "Île-de-France : la carte bancaire pour payer le ticket dans les bus" in French.
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