I’m from Barcelona, ​​but Madrid’s public transportation has been allowing you to pay for your ticket from your mobile phone for months. It took a while, but eventually all subway entrance gates in major cities have RFID. This allowed Metrobus and T-Mobilitat to be implemented.

I have been using T-Mobilitat on my mobile phone for more than a year And the truth is, I can’t think of anything else. It is an application that has become an indispensable part of my mobile phone and I recommend all users to try it.

I don’t understand why it’s taking so long

Looking back, I think that if my metro card ran out, I should have gone to the machine and bought a ticket. It’s a trivial process that takes me a few minutes anyway. Best case scenario there is no queue or there is something wrong with the machine.

Then there’s the fact that you have an extra piece of cardboard to keep taking up space in your wallet. I understand that everyone will have their own preference here and it’s no drama, but after embracing digitalization for some things, I now want digitalization for everything.

With the T-Mobilitat mobile application, I can pass through the access gates and, more importantly, charge directly. This is exactly the point I like the most: I can buy the ticket on the way to the metro.

To purchase the ticket, we just enter the application, click on reload and the regular payment gateway appears, with our card details already registered and where we only need to enter the personal code. Our metro ticket is ready in about 30 seconds.

T-Mobilitat application A perfect example of what we want when we demand the digitalization of Public Administration. This is exactly what we want. These are trivial operations that we can do on our own, without the need for additional facilities or vending machines, that take up space and are definitely not cheap.

Frankly, I understand that users who don’t have a mobile domain need to continue to be helped. Of course, I advocate the physical alternative and personalized customer service. However, for the majority of users, digitalization is a very useful feature that allows them to use public transportation faster.

T-Mobilitat’s app is a bit basic, but it serves its purpose well. It allows you to access the current ticket, show it to the conductor if it passes, and view a ticket. history of purchased tickets. It’s also very helpful to look back and see how well different cards have held up.

One criticism is that special tickets such as airport tickets are not yet included. If Barcelona Metropolitan Transport really wants to promote its widespread use, it must ensure that the experience is complete.

When I entered the subway, I realized that Paying with your mobile phone allows you to spend seconds earlier than when inserting the physical card. It’s a small detail, but it shows that the arrival of RFID has accelerated access. It can be useful in emergencies or crowded situations.

One of the requirements is that our mobile phone has NFC. The truth is that not all mobile phones have NFC in the same place. In my case, I am using a Pixel and it is located in the upper middle part of the back. At first, I was unsuccessful until I found the perfect distance and location to place the cell phone. Above the Metro RFID tag. In my case, I do this not by touching the machine directly, but by holding the phone steady for a second at about two or three centimeters.

It took years for mobile payments to reach the metros of Barcelona or Madrid, but we already have them. I’m aware of the debate about the proliferation of mobile payments and the digital divide, but as a millennial and tech-savvy person, I couldn’t be happier.

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