TRANSITIONS. Are digital services making life easier in Monaco?

In a new series of articles, Monaco Tribune examines the various transitions that are happening in the Principality, in the digital, energy or transport fields, and their impact on local users. This first article is devoted to the question of teleservices.

We’re going digital! For several months, the Principality has been trying to simplify administrative procedures by increasing the number of online services. After first deploying the 5G network and fibre optics, Monaco has also been developing its teleservices.

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In the field of transport, for example, the Monapass application now allows you to buy your bus tickets online and validate them directly thanks to a QR Code on your phone. For car users, Monaco Parkings and Your Monaco make life easier by showing available spaces and journey times.

Technology is revolutionising the medical field too, as patients can now make a doctor’s appointment directly using the Monaco Santé application.

Also, administrative procedures should be simplified, thanks to digital identity and the recent launch of Monguichet.mc.

Bug fixes are required

User reactions to this avalanche of new services are rather mixed. Some are delighted, in particular by the Monapass application: “I use it every day! You don’t need a card or to get your wallet out, ” testifies a user by private message.

A second user adds: “It’s super easy to use and all the services are excellent! ” A third user says she is delighted with the system because it’s “so practical”.

Others, however, raised some issues and bugs that need to be fixed. On our Facebook page Serena regrets that while the Monapass application is easy to use for buying tickets, it is too restrictive when it comes to validating them with the QR Code.

mobee-monaco — Mobee / © Prince’s Government

Julien Dejanovic, Director of Digital Services, is aware of the problem. “There’s a knack to it: the QR Code must be kept at a distance from the reader. Videos will be shown on the buses and awareness campaigns will be conducted to help users understand how the system works.”

Valérie, one of our readers, hopes for some improvements: “It’s great! But it only works well with Monaco Telecom, when there should be more flexibility for Mobee and Monapass with other operators like Orange, Free, SFR, Bouygues, etc. “

On this topic, Christophe Pierre, Director of the Digital Platforms and Resources Department, replied: “The Prince’s Government is well aware of the issue of network coverage for people with third-party subscriptions. Medium-term solutions are under consideration.”

Everything that can be done digitally can also be done in a more traditional way
Julien Dejanovic, Director of Digital Services

>> SEE ALSO: Improved service on bus route 3 soon?

A problem for seniors?

While these wrinkles can be ironed out, for older users the digital revolution is a concern: “For seniors, and there are many of us in Monaco, I just can’t manage to use all these digital changes. Just yesterday, at the post office, I can’t send parcels to my grandchildren who live in Canada any more. I have to do everything by internet… and if I can’t manage, no more parcels…” testifies a user.

Julien Dejanovic is reassuring: “First of all, digital is not compulsory: everything that can be done digitally can also be done in a more traditional way.(…) We also offer human assistance on 98 98 95 99, so that people can be helped if they encounter difficulties. In parallel, we are going to think about concrete actions to help those who have no particular inclination towards digital technology, in particular our seniors. »

The Director of Digital Services also added that new services are due to arrive soon in the Principality. Housing applications, for example, should be able to be carried out online by the end of December. The government is also planning to create a virtual file holder, as well as a service where users who wish to do so will only have to register certain data once for it to be taken into account by several administrative departments.