Navigo travel cards with ASK technology replace Carte Orange in Paris

ASK, the largest supplier of contactless cards to Paris, France, has confirmed that Navigo travel cards using its contactless technology have replaced the paper-based Carte Orange for weekly and monthly travel from May 20. The Navigo pass is already used by more than 1.5 million Intgrale or Imagine’R annual travel card subscribers, and the new system is welcomed and endorsed by the RATP (Rgie Autonome des Transports Parisiens), the SNCF (Socit Nationale des Chemins de fer Franais) and 93 private operators.

‘ASK was founded in 1997 to develop and deliver new technology to transport operators around the world,’ said Georges Kayanakis, CEO, ASK. ‘Transport media need to be tough, reliable, robust and cost-effective for both the operators and their passengers; ASK’s unique technology – a paper inlay with a silver printed antenna inserted into a card body – is the ideal solution.’

The new Navigo card is a dual interface (contact/contactless) microprocessor card, a descendant of the early Francile card, which ASK was already supplying to the RATP in 1998. Contactless technology is being quickly adopted worldwide to card issuers who want to reduce reader maintenance costs, combat fraud, customize fare rates over entire networks, and increase passengers flow by up to 400 per cent. With banks also beginning to integrate contactless technology into their own cards, ASK is fast becoming a respected technology partner in the banking sector.

‘ASK is a worldwide pioneer in the field of contactless teleticketing for public transport,’ stated Philippe Vappereau, travel systems manager, RATP. ‘It was the first company to sell contactless microprocessor Calypso cards, and it now provides the majority of the Navigo cards that have replaced the Carte Orange in Paris and the Ile de France.’

Founded in 1997, ASK is a supplier of contactless cards, tickets, RFID tags and readers to the mass transit, access control, banking, ID, supply chain and logistics markets. More than 52 million contactless and RFID products are already in service worldwide.