The long-awaited Navegante mobile app should arrive later this month, "if not in May", said the President of TML. Initially, it will only allow you to top up passes and zap; in the future, it will replace the physical card.
We're used to seeing commemorative editions of coins or postage stamps, but for the first time in history there will be a special edition of the public transport pass. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the NavigatorWith the intermodal fare that has revolutionized metropolitan mobility in Lisbon, Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML) is launching a new fare scheme. special version of the black and yellow card that accompanies many of us on a daily basis.
Made exclusively from recycled plastic, this commemorative edition of Navegante's five-year anniversary will be limited to 5000 copiesand will soon be available on the 5 years.navegante.en. Thus, those interested will be able to order their five-year commemorative Navegante card by this means, paying the corresponding cost (12 €), and then they will be able to use it normally on their journeys, loading the monthly pass or balance zapping.
This edition, which includes a revelo dedicated to the Navegante's anniversary, will not be available at the operators' physical points of sale. "The commemorative card highlights the five-year anniversary of the Navegante tariff and underlines its importance in the pulse of cities and in the journey towards mobility that is increasingly sustainable"TML points out.
Application between April and May
For those who prefer to concentrate cards on their cell phone, the long-awaited Navigator app will arrive "still in April, if not in May"revealed Faustino Gomes, President of TML, on Monday. Initially, the Navegante app will allow users to top up their passes Navigator from your cell phone, including discounted options and zapping balances, as well as checking your card details. But only that.
In the next stages of its evolution, the Navegante app will take on a greater maturity and will incorporate the concept of a "mobility account", with new features such as consulting passenger data, requesting Navegante cards and the long-awaited virtualization of cards, i.e. it will be possible to validate journeys using a cell phone. Faustino Gomes promised a pilot of travel validation with this app and the cell phone for "later this year"Carris Metropolitana is to carry out this experiment. A "first pilot" paying for trips with a bank cardalso at Carris Metropolitana.
The Navegante app will be available for iOS e Androidand will bear the "Navegante +Ágil" seal, which has been used by TML to communicate its commitment to simplifying and dematerializing processes, and to digital transformation within the context of the Navegante tariff system.
"When we build these tools, we build them not only for use by TML and Carris Metropolitana, but so that all the operators of the Lisbon metropolitan area transport system can use them"said Faustino Gomes, pointing out that even if some operators are more advanced than others in developing digital solutions, it is important to remember that "in the end we work for the same people" and that it is essential "leaving bridges so that systems are interoperable and so that people can see a single image".
Contactless in Carris until the summer, possibly
While TML is developing solutions for Navegante, which will be available to all transport operators, some of these operators have been working on their own solutions. This was the case with Carris, which recently launched its pass loading application, the CarrisWay. For Pedro Bogas, President of Carris (a company managed by Lisbon City Council and not by TML), "it's important to dematerialize so that people can top up without loading the sales network"It should focus more on answering questions and solving problems, rather than selling passes and tickets directly. Bogas said that the peaks in September forced the carrier to outsource human resources to its service desks, as it couldn't meet demand with its usual staff.
Carris is "working with bank card access"and has already replaced all the validators on its buses and streetcars to enable the "by summer" people can travel by paying with their bank card contactless (Apple and Google Pay included). "This is still only an indicative deadline"he warned. On the other hand, Carris has a pilot with Via Verde for the use of cell phones during journeys, through the app Via Verde Transportwhich is being rethought. "We already have a pilot and we wanted to make that transition this year."
Bogas was speaking at the event commemorating Navegante's fifth anniversary, which was also attended by Cristina Dourado, Fertagus administrator, who said that "35% of securities sold on Fertagus are now from the app", referring to the application Pick HubThis was the first solution to allow Navegante passes to be topped up via cell phone (for use on the entire transport network), as well as the purchase of occasional Fertagus journeys. "Payment by bank card started in October and we're growing every month. We already have more than 20,000 bank card customers"he revealed, indicating that this is a very significant number.
Five years of Navegante
Since its launch in 2019, five years ago, Navegante has established itself as a fundamental part of urban mobility in the Lisbon metropolitan area (amL). Today, more than just a fare or a card, Navegante is a system that guarantees intermodality and ticketing interoperability that enables interconnection with new mobility solutions and partners, offering more integrated products and services. Navegante gives its name to online passenger information and contact portalthe service desks, the network of loading agents, at a platform for companies and soon it will also be a mobile application.
