Paris confirms end of paper Metro tickets
However people who still have tickets will still be able to convert them into an 'Easy' transport pass until September 2026.
The final death knell for the tickets - which measure 6.5cm x 3cm and have existed in the current form with a magnetic strip since 1973 - will be confirmed on Thursday where the Ile de France Mobilités board will vote on the timetable for ending the ticket.
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The network has been gradually replacing the paper tickets with passes or digital tickets since 2018, and already some Metro stations on the network have stopped selling paper versions of the ticket.
The
carnet
of 10 paper tickets was phased out first, while regular passengers were encouraged to switch to passes, travel cards or app payments which offer a lower per-journey fare.
Single-journey tickets are still sold at some stations and are accepted for travel throughout the network.
However
from June 1st 2026 the paper ticket
- some version of which has existed since Paris opened its first Metro line in 1900 - will fade into history.
"A historic ticket for getting around, the
ticket carton
is becoming increasingly obsolete with the digitisation of transport tickets, which facilitates ticket storage, reduces cardboard waste and environmental impact, and makes it possible to avoid queuing at ticket offices thanks to smartphone purchasing,' explained IDFM in a statement.
The cardboard tickers are especially prone to demagnetising if left in a pocket or wallet too long, meaning they can no longer be read by ticket machines.
In addition to the weekly, monthly or yearly Navigo passes, the Paris transport operator has been rolling out passes aimed at visitors or occasional Metro users.
These include the Liberté + - which is charged on a pay-as-you-go rate, charging journeys at €1.99 rather than €2.50 - or the Easy - a card that is loaded up in advance with pre-paid virtual tickets.
The Ile de France Mobilités app also allows people to purchase tickets and passes in a digital format, in which the phone itself becomes the travel pass.
READ ALSO
:
App, Navigo or Easy - What's the best option when buying tickets for the Paris Metro?✎
The Paris Metro ticket has always been rectangular, but over the years it's been many different colours including red, yellow, green, orange and purple.
Advertisement
In 1900, you would pay 15 cents (of France's previous currency, the franc) for a second-class ticket and 25 cents for first-class - first class carriages remained in use on some lines until 1991.
Originally Metro tickets were checked by employees known as a
poinçonneur
(
poinçonneuse
for women) - ticket-punchers. One of singer Serge Gainsbourg's early hits was Le Poinçonneur des Lilas, about the ticket-checker at the Les Lilas station.
In gratitude for the recognition, a new station on the extension of Metro Line 11, which runs through Les Lilas, was named Serge Gainsbourg in 2024 (the new station is actually in the neighbouring suburb of Romainville, but let's not split hairs).
But from the start of the 1970s, the ticket-punchers were replaced with automated barriers for checking tickets and a new Paris sport was invented - athletically vaulting over the barrier in order to fare dodge.
You might think this is shady behaviour, but Jacques Chirac was famously photographed doing it while he was mayor of Paris (or at least he staged a photo that looked like he was doing it).
Composite photos of then mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac jumping a gate of the Paris metro as he came for the inauguration of an exhibition of modern art in the Auber RER station on December 5, 1980. Photo by JEAN-CLAUDE DELMAS / AFP
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From June 1st 2026, the slim rectangular cardboard ticket will no longer be valid for a ride on Paris' Metro, bus, tram or RER train network. However people who still have tickets will still be able to convert them into an 'Easy' transport pass until September 2026. The final death knell for the tickets - which measure 6.5cm x 3cm and have existed in the current form with a magnetic strip since 1973 - will be confirmed on Thursday where the Ile de France Mobilités board will vote on the timetable for ending the ticket. Advertisement The network has been gradually replacing the paper tickets with passes or digital tickets since 2018, and already some Metro stations on the network have stopped selling paper versions of the ticket. The carnet of 10 paper tickets was phased out first, while regular passengers were encouraged to switch to passes, travel cards or app payments which offer a lower per-journey fare. Single-journey tickets are still sold at some stations and are accepted for travel throughout the network. However from June 1st 2026 the paper ticket - some version of which has existed since Paris opened its first Metro line in 1900 - will fade into history. "A historic ticket for getting around, the ticket carton is becoming increasingly obsolete with the digitisation of transport tickets, which facilitates ticket storage, reduces cardboard waste and environmental impact, and makes it possible to avoid queuing at ticket offices thanks to smartphone purchasing,' explained IDFM in a statement. The cardboard tickers are especially prone to demagnetising if left in a pocket or wallet too long, meaning they can no longer be read by ticket machines. In addition to the weekly, monthly or yearly Navigo passes, the Paris transport operator has been rolling out passes aimed at visitors or occasional Metro users. These include the Liberté + - which is charged on a pay-as-you-go rate, charging journeys at €1.99 rather than €2.50 - or the Easy - a card that is loaded up in advance with pre-paid virtual tickets. The Ile de France Mobilités app also allows people to purchase tickets and passes in a digital format, in which the phone itself becomes the travel pass. READ ALSO : App, Navigo or Easy - What's the best option when buying tickets for the Paris Metro?✎ The Paris Metro ticket has always been rectangular, but over the years it's been many different colours including red, yellow, green, orange and purple. Advertisement In 1900, you would pay 15 cents (of France's previous currency, the franc) for a second-class ticket and 25 cents for first-class - first class carriages remained in use on some lines until 1991. Originally Metro tickets were checked by employees known as a poinçonneur ( poinçonneuse for women) - ticket-punchers. One of singer Serge Gainsbourg's early hits was Le Poinçonneur des Lilas, about the ticket-checker at the Les Lilas station. In gratitude for the recognition, a new station on the extension of Metro Line 11, which runs through Les Lilas, was named Serge Gainsbourg in 2024 (the new station is actually in the neighbouring suburb of Romainville, but let's not split hairs). But from the start of the 1970s, the ticket-punchers were replaced with automated barriers for checking tickets and a new Paris sport was invented - athletically vaulting over the barrier in order to fare dodge. You might think this is shady behaviour, but Jacques Chirac was famously photographed doing it while he was mayor of Paris (or at least he staged a photo that looked like he was doing it). Composite photos of then mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac jumping a gate of the Paris metro as he came for the inauguration of an exhibition of modern art in the Auber RER station on December 5, 1980. Photo by JEAN-CLAUDE DELMAS / AFP
