From punching machine to smartphone validation: a look back at 125 years of ticketing in transport in Île-de-France
1900: "Hallmark, please"
It was in 1900 that the history of the metro began in Île-de-France with the inauguration of the first line (our current metro line 1), on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
At the time, you travelled in first or second class, and it was a flesh-and-blood puncher who checked the tickets at the entrance to each station. An organization that will gradually begin to run out of steam in the face of the evolution of a network that is still young, but already in full expansion.
Did you know? The first class did not officially disappear until 1991.
1968: the era of magnetics
The first technological turning point took place in 1968, with the arrival of the magnetic ticket in the metro and train, and automatic validation.
This is the beginning of a small daily revolution for the inhabitants of the Ile-de-France region: validation terminals replace punching machines, making entry into transport faster and more fluid. As for the magnetic ticket, which is more resistant and convenient to store, it simplifies the storage and validation of trips.
The last ticket to be punched was sold in 1975, bringing an entire era to a close.
1975: Does the Orange Card speak to you?
A real Proust's madeleine for many Ile-de-France residents, the Orange Card appeared in 1975. This nominative card, associated with a magnetic ticket to be validated at each passage and to be changed every month, is revolutionizing the lives of transport regulars throughout the Île-de-France.
It also marks the rise of unlimited subscriptions (monthly and daily, to begin with), a first in the history of transport in the Ile-de-France region.
2002: Navigo, the revival of ticketing
With the 2000s came a new wave of modernization. The Navigo pass, launched in 2002, introduces contactless validation and gradually replaces the Orange Card with a physical pass and a new unlimited annual subscription, intended for Ile-de-France residents.
2019: Navigo Liberté +, "the beginning of the end" of single tickets?
Designed for non-subscribed but regular transport users, the Navigo Liberté+ allows, from 2019, to validate one's journeys and travel without having to recharge.
With free connections, deferred payment on the 15th of the following month and -20% on the price of tickets, it (really) simplifies the journey of passengers in transport, by offering a practical and economical alternative to single tickets.
2019-2024: The "cardboard" is packed
2019 - The arrival of the Navigo Easy pass
In 2019, the Navigo Easy was launched. This rechargeable and contactless card allows you to validate and load dematerialized tickets. Easy to transport and without the risk of demagnetisation (a recurring problem with cardboard tickets), it further simplifies the purchase of tickets and validation in transport.
2024 - Travelling with your phone: it's now possible
The revolution continues in 2024. Mobile applications are transformed into counters, phones into tickets: it is now possible to buy, recharge and validate tickets and passes directly on your smartphone (on Android and iOS).
January 2025: simplification as a revolution?
The month of January 2025 drastically simplifies ticketing in Île-de-France: no more multitude of tickets to get around. Two tickets now give access to the entire region regardless of the destination : the Metro-Train-RER ticket and the Bus-Tram ticket.
At the same time...
The Navigo Liberté+ (reserved in its first years for intramural and Petite Couronne routes and buses) now gives access to the entire Île-de-France.
Two new features that consolidate the foundations of a public transport network that facilitates the daily journey of passengers, everywhere in Île-de-France.
April 2025: the cardboard is over
It's official! Cardboard tickets are bowing out and gradually ceasing to be sold. The end of a small cardboard rectangle that has become emblematic, but also the promise of ticketing more adapted to contemporary uses.
Ticketing in Île-de-France, a revolution in motion
In 125 years, ticketing has made giant leaps. From cardboard to its disappearance, from the creation of the Navigo Liberté+ to its arrival on smartphones in June 2025 : the ticketing system for transport in the Ile-de-France region is in perpetual revolution, embodying the technological, societal and ecological changes linked to the way we travel.
A continuous transformation in the service of a single objective: to make transport ever simpler and more convenient, for everyone.