Commuters in France are testing a system that enables them to refill their transit cards at home using payment card readers that they attach to their computers.
Xiring, the French payments technology company, said the test involves 1,000 people who ride the Transilien SNCF trains in the Paris region and is expected to last into the fall. When it concludes, Xiring expects the train operator to begin offering the system generally.
Riders can reload weekly or monthly passes with the Teo smart card readers, which SNCF is providing for free. SNCF hopes the system will reduce lines at ticket desks and vending machines.
Other companies are also testing similar systems.
The Dutch contactless technology vendor Gemalto NV said last week that it is supplying readers for transit card top-ups for commuters who ride Paris buses and subways operated by Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens.
Unlike the SNCF pilot, RATP consumers must buy their readers; Gemalto did not provide the price.
Xiring is involved in similar tests with Transport Express Regional SNCF, an express rail service in France, and Compagnie des Transport Strasbourgeois, a public transit company in Strasbourg, France.
