In Lisbon, Portugal, there are two companies that operate the metro system, which is called the Metro, and a company that operates buses and trams. (The railways are another company.)
Metro Lisboa operates the metro and Carris operates the buses and trams.
These two have slightly different ways of getting around, so I’ll write about each of them.
Incidentally, I did my research after I came to Portugal, and I observed the behaviour and gestures of the people who ride and asked, ‘Is this how you ride?’ and tried it out. That was fun and gave me a chance to get to know people.
If you want to save the fun, I suggest you go to another page quickly.
All you need is a credit card to get on board!
In fact, he explains that from November 2024, it will be possible to pay directly for a ride using a physical or virtual ‘contactless’ card at all authorised machines, including buses, trams and the three elevators in Lisbon. (Metro originally allowed passengers to use credit cards to board the trains.)
This means that as long as you have a credit card, you can ride the buses, trams and metros that run in Lisbon!
If you are a short-term traveller or only making a few journeys, it is easier to pay with a credit card.
By the way, you can also use the credit card registered on your smartphone.
But credit cards get a surcharge.
There is a small surcharge, so if you are concerned about this, you can buy it using the method described below.
Notes! Types of credit cards accepted.
Credit card companies should be noted.
Metro accepts Visa, Master, Indra, Cybersource, Littlepay and Unicre ( https://www.metrolisboa.pt/en/ride-on-metro- lisboa-with-contactless-payment-card ), while Carris accepts Visa, Master and MB.
Having Visa and Master is a good idea, but check your own credit cards in advance, as JCB cards, which are commonly used in Japan, are often not accepted in Europe, including Portugal.
How to board and alight the bus
Let’s start by looking at how to get on the bus. The only difference from Japan is that you have to indicate your intention to stop.
Boarding the bus
The first step is to stop the bus. (Yes)
Buses in Portugal will not stop unless you indicate that you want to get on.
When the bus you want to stop comes, it is customary to raise your hand to the side and hold up your index finger. Like this.
Board through the entrance door at the front of the bus.
Buses in Portugal have a pre-payment system.
Once on board, the card is attached to the payment terminal. Payment is made at this point.
It is also possible to board with cash, but I have not seen this before, so I think it is not very common.
Touch here section.
The green tick appears on the screen at the same time as the beep, and you are ready to sit in the chair of your choice.
Incidentally, you can change the number of passengers by touching this area.
When you want to settle the payment together with several people, it is convenient to touch here to change the number of people and settle the payment by card.
Getting off the bus
Press ‘STOP’ on the handrail or on other parts of the bus.
You will then hear a small sound and see the word ‘STOP’ on the electronic board at the front of the bus.
When disembarking, get off through the door in the middle of the bus.
Good night!
Points to note when riding the bus
Buses leave as soon as you get on. In Japan, you have to wait until everyone is seated, but in Portugal you don’t. And everyone seems to take it for granted.
In Portugal, however, you don’t. And everyone seems to take it for granted.
Therefore, sit down as soon as you get on the bus or get caught by the handrail. It is easy to lose your balance, especially in Lisbon, where the roads are uneven and hilly.
What are the fees?
There is a slight difference in the price of the ride between using a credit card and navegante.
Credit cards are slightly more expensive than navegante, say.
Credit cards cost 2.1€ per bus ride and 3.1€ per tram ride.
The navegante zapping (charge) is 1.61€ per bus or tram ride. More importantly, it is valid for one hour on any bus or tram route operated by Carris. This means that if you are within one hour from the first bus entry confirmation to the last bus entry confirmation, you only need to pay once.
If you are a person who makes a lot of transfers, or if you are making a round trip within an hour, navegante is quite good in terms of price.
If you are a traveller and don’t mind spending a bit of money and just want to be able to ride, use your credit card.
For more information on tickets, visit the official Carris website.
How to get on and off the Metro
The Metro runs throughout Lisbon and is quite convenient.
The metro is also a convenient way to get from the airport, if you are not travelling by car. A metro map may give you some idea of the geography.
Now, the Metro is a very simple way to get on the underground. Just go through the ticket gates as you would in Japan.
Riding the Metro
The entrance to the Metro is marked with a red M. Use it as a landmark and proceed.
Lisbon’s metro has gates just like in Japan. Touch your credit card or navegante here and the ticket gate will open and you can proceed.
The caveat is that you have to wait a bit… This means. It takes a little while for the card to be attached and authorised, so wait patiently.
Then all you have to do is get on the train as it comes.
Metro alighting
When disembarking, you must pass through the gate in the same way.
Simply touch your card in the same way as when boarding.
What are the fees?
Credit cards are available for the entire metro for 1.8€ per ride.
The navegante allows you to use the entire metro for 1.61€ per journey.
Also, both credit cards and navegante are individual cards and cannot be used by more than one person at a time.
For more information on tickets, visit the official METOR website.
Buy navegante
If you want to ride as cheaply as possible, navegante zapping is the way to go. (prepaid card).
If you pay by credit card, you’ll pay a little extra and you’ll also be charged an extra bus/tram transfer fee for the short time you’re there, which will cost you money.
You can buy it here.
Switch between languages in the bottom left-hand corner and press ‘Tap Start’ on the screen.
Press Zapping (Prepaid).
Select the amount you want to Zapping and you will be taken to the payment screen.
The additional 0.5€ is because a new card creation fee has been added.
Click on ‘Card’ in the bottom right-hand corner to settle the credit card account.
You may possibly be asked for the number at the next time, but skip it. This refers to entering the taxpayer number for people living in Portugal.
After skipping, the screen will switch to the ‘Payment With Bnak Card’ section in the bottom right-hand corner, so just bring your credit card close to touch payment and you are done.
After a short wait, a receipt and navegante are issued from below.
Incidentally, the same thing can be done with this model, although it looks different.
How to zap (charge) navegante
To charge, first place the navegante card in the central section.
Here.
When you place the card, the screen automatically switches to the amount you want to charge and you can make the payment.
Summary
If you want to explore Lisbon, the Lisboa Card is probably the best option, as it allows you to buy sightseeing tickets and transport costs for 51 places in the 24h-72h range all at once.
However, Portugal also has irregular strikes, so if you are the type of person who doesn’t go around that much and wants to go where you want to go, credit card payment is recommended.
NAVEGANTE is cheap and convenient, but you can’t withdraw what’s left over from ZAPPING. (It is possible to carry over to the next card.)
Have a great Lisbon life!
