SNCF and Gemalto are reportedly offering a new service that lets travelers purchase and recharge their transport tickets using a contactless mobile phone, which incorporates Near Field Communication technology.

 

Gemalto (News - Alert) officials said that the widespread integration of NFC technology into consumer mobile phones will let travelers buy or top up transport tickets, at any time, from the online SNCF portal. Company officials said that travelers who buy pre-paid tickets can also check to see how many tickets they have remaining. This new service enabling online purchases, in addition to the existing ticket offices and ticket machines, gives travelers greater freedom and flexibility.

 

According to company officials, the transport ticket carrying the rights to use the public transport network is stored in the SIM card of the NFC mobile phone. It is used in exactly the same way as any other contactless transport ticket; travelers simply swipe their handset over a reader to open the gates. Similarly, travelers only need to present their phone to the ticket inspector, who checks the ticket validity, the company officials pointed out.

 

This new service is the result of a project run jointly by the SNCF Proximités Innovation and Technologies Pole, the SNCF subsidiary RITMx, an expert in ticketing distribution solutions, and Gemalto, a major player in digital security.

 

“Developing new generation services that are simple and offer added value will help make daily journeys easier. Our ambition is to support transport authorities in this proactive approach to continually improve public transports,” said Jean-Pierre Farandou, managing director, SNCF Proximités in a statement.

 

SNCF Proximités is one of SNCF’s fives branches.

 

Rémi De Fouchier, senior vice president trusted services management at Gemalto said that the company is proud to be working with SNCF to offer travelers a modern and convenient way of accessing trains using their mobile phone.

 

“Gemalto has already carried out over 25 NFC mobile services pilot programs across the world and we are poised for a large-scale roll-out of this new service for travelers, in partnership with SNCF,” said Rémi De Fouchier.