The Navegante application is now available, in beta version, for iOS and Android. At this initial stage, it is mainly used to load passes and zapping balance on the card.
It is now available, in a trial version, Navegante application, which, for now, does little more than loading passes and zapping balance on the card. In the future (which shouldn’t be too distant), this application will completely replace the physical card.
Available for iOS and Android, the Navegante application is being developed by Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML). Anyone who wants to try it out can do so by filling out the form available here. “By involving people in an important phase of the evolution of this tool, TML seeks to listen to needs, gauge reactions and, in this way, prepare a better receptivity to this new Navegante product”says the metropolitan transport company in a statement.
“Registration to test the app is open to a limited number of people who want to participate and contribute to their user experience.” In addition to loading passes and balance zappingThe app Navegante allows, in this first phase, access to useful information about ticketing and public transport in the Lisbon metropolitan area, including available discounts and services.
In a second stage, the application will incorporate the concept of “mobility account”, allowing you to request Navegante cards and also the virtualization of the card itself, allowing you to validate trips using your cell phone. “The Navegante app has the potential to serve hundreds of thousands of people, which could lead to massive adoption and a high load on the application, which is why TML, the managing entity of the Navegante app, understands that it is advised to proceed with all safety precautions. in order to minimize risks and guarantee the highest level of reliability and the best customer support service. For this reason, I would like to thank everyone who can contribute in this testing phase of the application.”
There are already other applications that allow the loading of Navegante passes, as well as zapping balances, on the yellow and black card, namely Pick Hub and CarrisWAY. However, because the Navegante system is managed directly by TML, this new application is more agile in the loading process. However, as it is still under development (it is still in the beta phase), there are some potentially unstable features in the Navegante app, namely:
- Invoice Issuance: Sometimes invoice generation may fail after payment. In these cases, it is necessary to contact support to request delivery by email.
- Card Reading and Loading: Sometimes the application may be slow when initially reading or at the end of the loading process. We suggest several attempts in this case.
- Product expiration dates: In most cases, the expiration date on the loaded product is not correct. This issue has no impact on the validity of the products, and is just a visualization error. It will be corrected in a future update.
Navegante is the ecosystem in which all transport operators cooperate, acting as a guarantor of intermodality and interoperability of the transport system in the Lisbon metropolitan area.
