Lille’s transport network has introduced the “world’s first purpose-built contactless travel wristband” for the Euro 2016 football tournament.
The wristband, which has been created by digital security specialist Gemalto, can be used on French city’s Transpole public transport services, which are run by Keolis Lille.
Visitors can use the Euro 2016-branded wristbands on Lille’s bus, tram and metro services by tapping them against a contactless reader. The city is due to host six games throughout the month-long tournament.
Although the wristbands have been launched to celebrate the football tournament, they can be used indefinitely on Lille’s public transport. The bands can be topped up at Transpole kiosks around the city.
The wristbands use mini-cards, which are smaller than typical transport cards such as London’s Oyster system.
Gemalto said the wristbands offer “excellent performance with NFC (near field communication) smartphones” and can be used for other payment services such as access to stadiums and festivals.
Francine Velthuizen, commercial and marketing director for Keolis Lille, said: “The new wristbands reflect our commitment to putting travelers at the heart of the Keolis Lille innovation strategy.”
Philippe Cambriel, Gemalto’s president for Europe, added: “As the trend for wearable technology gathers pace, there is growing interest in our ability to deliver highly compact contactless ticketing solutions in novel and convenient formats such as wristbands.”