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Flashcode: real-time passenger information

In January 2010, RATP started installing flashcodes in its bus and tram stops in the Ile-de-France region that enable passengers’ mobile phones to indicate the times that the next two buses or trams will be passing through, in real time.

Just take a photo of the tag posted near the line numbers, and the waiting time for the next bus or train will appear on your phone’s screen. You can save the link for direct access to this information in your bookmarks and subsequently check the updated information in real time, at any time and wherever you are.

Simple, fast and innovative, this service has already won over more than 130,000 users, and it’s only the start:

Flashcode readers now available on iPhone and Androids


To read (scan and interpret) the flashcodes, you first need to have a reader loaded onto your mobile phone.

Readers for iPhone and Android smartphones can now be obtained free of charge directly from these platforms’ App stores.

More than 70% of all smartphones on the French market are compatible and can therefore get a flashcode reader.

In addition, universal 1D and 2D barcode readers have started to appear on this type of mobile phone, which makes the RATP service one of many new uses now accessible to users.

How to use flashcodes


Each of the 20,000 flashcodes that have been deployed is unique and corresponds to a specific bus or tram line for a given stop, including stops that have been moved due to construction work.

In order to use the flashcodes and benefit from this information service in real time, passengers must:

  • have a telephone that is compatible with flashcode technology (to find out if your phone is compatible, go to the user space on the flashcode site - this content is not available in English)
  • have a mobile Internet account
  • download the application for reading flashcodes (via the flashcode site mentioned above, or directly by searching for the flashcode in the iPhone App store or Android market).

LED lighting for RATP metro and RER stations

In June 2012, RATP launched a European bid to tender to install LEDs, to replace all the lights in the metro and RER stations. The changeover to the new lighting system will take four years, starting in April 2013. RATP will be the first underground public transport network of its size to be entirely equipped with LED technology.

Osmose: Building the bus station of the future

From May 2012, RATP is trialling the bus station of the future as part of the EBSF European project, coordinated by UITP, and continuing its Osmose research process.

Osmose: Building the metro stations of the future

With public transport at the heart of urban development projects in the Île-de-France region, RATP is endeavouring to anticipate future changes through the “Station Osmose” project, a forward-looking study examining the possible forms that the metro stations of the 21st century might take in the densely populated area around Paris.

IMAGE: real-time traffic information

Because the unexpected can cause stress and indecision, improving the information provided to passengers is one of RATP's biggest priorities. The IMAGE project, currently in the test phase, aims to provide constantly updated, real-time local information on the state of traffic in the networks, including those run by other Île-de-France operators (SNCF, Optile).

Flashcode: real-time passenger information

In January 2010, RATP started installing flashcodes in its bus and tram stops in the Ile-de-France region that enable passengers’ mobile phones to indicate the times that the next two buses or trams will be passing through, in real time.

BlueEyes: Geolocation for people with reduced mobility

RATP is experimenting with a GPS-based underground guidance system that is unique in the world.

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