1 - Can my iPhone hold 5 weekly passes on it at the same time for 5 different people? (my husband and 3 children? When we enter at train station I would tap it 5 times in a row as each of us enter?
2 - Do I need an activated sim card a data services while I am in Paris for the Navigo passes on my phone to work? (Would it work with a no data plan or if you only had wifi access from the phone?)
3 - If I purchase 10 one-time use passes on my phone will I be able to tap the phone for each person using it?
Thanks for any help you can offer and for all of your in-depth answers on previous questions!
1 answer
Hi there,
- No, a single iPhone can only hold a single Navigo Weekly pass at any one time.
- iPhones don't need a data plan / data connection to store/use Navigo passes or other fares, rather they will be using a technology called NFC which is only used for nearby device readers. This works even while the phone is in Airplane Mode.
- No, you won't be able to validate multiple single-use tickets on a single phone in a short time period. (In Apple Wallet, the Ticket t+ is listed as "passes", which is not the quite correct, but I think this is a general label Apple uses for transit fares.) A ticket on iPhone, when validated, is now valid for 90 minutes of travel and any further taps for validation are linked to that current active ticket on the phone. It won't open the same turnstile/gate if tapped again as it's already been used to validate a gate opening. (This prevents someone from abusing the system, allowing multiple people into the fare paid area under a single ticket.) For transfers onto other trains, some of which require re-validation of the ticket through a gate, will again use any currently activated ticket, first, as opposed to using a new ticket which would incorrectly double charge a phone user.
Please feel free to post another question if you have any other queries. Thanks.