As of July 1, 2023 the whole pricing and ticketing system on Nice’s Lignes d’Azur lines changes. No, it’s not getting cheaper but it is getting more complicated.

First the good news. Do you have unused tickets? No problem. Old tickets are still good for all of 2023. If you already have a monthly or yearly subscription card, you can still use it until the expiration date.

Now, let’s delve further.

The new system involves cards. There are no more 10-voyage cards for €10. There are 3 types of cards: Ma Carte, La Carte and Solo Secours.

Ma Carte is the best solution for Riviera residents who take a lot of public transport.  You provide your name and photo and bank information. With this card you can buy single tickets, multi-voyage tickets,  passes and subscriptions. If you lose it, the Lignes d’Azur will reissue it.

La Carte is the best solution for visitors and those who rarely take public transport. There’s a €2 refundable processing fee. You can buy everything except monthly or annual subscriptions. It’s anonymous, refillable and can be used by multiple people.  The €2 fee is reimbursable upon presentation of the card at any Lignes d’Azur office or at any ticket distributor.

Solo Secours is for people who find themselves on the bus without a ticket Yikes! You can pay €2 to the driver for this card which is refillable.

Carte Aero is a sly way to extract money from tourists arriving at Nice Airport and is only on sale at the airport. It costs €10 return instead of the €3.40 everyone else pays. Visitors can avoid this ripoff by taking the tram for free one stop to Grands Arenas and buying their tickets there.

PRICES

One trip now costs €1.70 (instead of €1.50); you can transfer to another bus or tram within 74 minutes (!) but not use for a return trip.

One-day pass costs €7

Two-day pass costs €13

7-day pass costs €20

There’s also the money-saving Multi-Voyage plan. You can buy up to 100 trips. The more you buy, the cheaper it is. You pay €1.70 for the first 12 trips; €1.50 for the next 13 trips; €1.30 up to 50 trips and then €1 for 50 to 100 trips. For example, if you put 15 trips on your card you’ll pay €24.90. Note that this multi-voyage plan (which you can put on La Carte can be used by more than one person which makes it ideal for people travelling in a group.

A monthly subscription costs €45 (€22.50 for students and seniors)

A yearly subscription costs €360 (€180 for students & seniors)

WHERE TO BUY THE CARDS

Ticket Dispensers

You can buy La Carte and choose whatever ticket or pass you like. You cannot buy a subscription or Ma Carte here.

App IOS and Android Apps

Look for the Lignes d’Azur app either on Google Play or the App Store. Note that IOS is only for recharging a card or subscription you already have (Ma Carte or La Carte). You can buy all subscriptions, cards and passes on Android and then validate your journey on the ticket machine.

Online

You can buy or recharge a subscription or pass through Ma Carte or La Carte on the Lignes d’Azur website. You cannot buy a single ticket.

Lignes d’Azur Office

You can recharge a subscription here but not buy one. You can buy all passes and tickets except a single one-way ticket.  There’s no real reason to deal with the hours or waiting at an office when you can do it either online or at a ticket dispenser.

Other changes include validating your journey at the entrance to underground tram stations  (Alsace-Lorraine, Jean Medecin, Durandy, Garibaldi) rather than on the tram.

What hasn’t changed is that you can still buy a Ticket Azur €2.50 that includes a regional bus line.