Tickets in Nouméa: the Pass Tanéo, day passes and fares

Tanéo is the public bus network of Grand Nouméa, covering the four communes of Nouméa, Dumbéa, Mont-Dore and Païta. It is organised by the SMTU, the joint transport authority of the four communes, which sets the lines, timetables and fares. The network includes the Néobus line L1, a bus rapid transit line between the city centre and the Médipôle in Dumbéa.

There are no zones: a trip costs the same whether you ride two stops in the city centre or travel out to Païta. The fare tables are in CFP francs (XPF), shown locally as "F".

The Pass Tanéo is a rechargeable smart card that works like an electronic purse: you load money onto it and each trip is deducted at 500 F. Personal (named) passes are issued free of charge at the Tanéo sales office at Moselle, 36 rue d'Austerlitz in the city centre, on presentation of an ID; a replacement costs 2,000 F.

Named passes have a monthly cap that depends on your profile: 10,000 F for adults aged 27 to 59 (Liberté +), 8,000 F for young people aged 7 to 26 (Jeunes) and for people with a disability rate above 66 % (Solidaire), and 6,000 F for seniors aged 60 and over. Once your trips in a calendar month reach the cap, the rest of the month is free. Unused credit carries over to the next month. Children aged 2 to 6 travel free with their own named pass.

For a short stay there are three options that do not require a named pass. The Pass Journée costs 1,500 F and gives unlimited travel on the whole network for one day. The Pass Liberté is an anonymous rechargeable card that costs 1,000 F; it has no monthly cap, each trip costs 500 F and you get free transfers like with any Pass Tanéo, and it can be lent to someone else. The Ticket Secours is an emergency single ticket for 500 F, valid for one trip only and without transfers.

If you take just one or two buses a day, the Pass Liberté or the Ticket Secours is enough; for three or more trips in a day, the Pass Journée is the better deal.

There is no ticket sale on board, so buy your ticket or load your pass before you travel. On the bus, hold your Pass Tanéo to the validator at the entrance when you board and to the validator at the exit when you get off. Validating both times gives you 1 hour 30 minutes of free transfers across the network; if you forget to validate on the way out, 500 F is deducted on your next trip.

The exit validator also shows the remaining balance on your pass.

Day passes and Ticket Secours are sold at the Moselle sales office, at the ticket machines on the network and at partner shops. You can top up a Pass Tanéo at the same places, or online in your Tanéo account; an online top-up can take up to 12 hours to reach the card. The sales office accepts cash and bank cards, but not cheques.

Regular commuters can also buy calendar-month subscriptions, which are loaded onto the Pass Tanéo; see the Nouméa fares page for the current list.