Sportswear brand Adidas have just launched a new model of connected trainer. These shoes have the unusual feature of being accepted as a public transport ticket in Berlin, Germany.

At a time when ever more clothing brands are making connected items – t-shirts, coats, gloves or underwear – now Adidas are dipping their toe in the water with a pair of innovative trainers, reveals Tom Travel.

The German brand has developed a pair of smart sneakers called "EQT-Support 93/Berlin", teaming up with Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) – the company that runs Berlin’s tram, bus and underground system – to mark the company’s 90th anniversary. 

Smart sneakers that match Berlin’s metro seats 

The "EQT-Support 93/17 Berlin" shoes are black primeknit trainers. Their tongue is inspired by BVG transport tickets, their camouflage print matches the seats on the public transport system, and their yellow and black laces echo the outside of the trains. 

But it is not only the design of these comfortable trainers that ties them to the Berlin underground: they are also equipped with an electronic chip embedded in the shoes’ tongues, enabling the wearer to use public transport without a ticket until 31st December 2018.

Will we soon see connected trainers for Parisian public transport?  

Though ticket-checking methods will require a certain amount of flexibility, these connected trainers allow the wearer to make a significant saving on travel: the trainers are priced at 180 euros per pair, but a yearly travel pass for the BVG network costs around 700 euros. The "EQT-Support 93/17 Berlin" trainers have been on sale in two Berlin shops since 16th January and are limited to a total of 500 pairs.

La BVG (équivalent berlinois de la RATP) sort une paire de baskets aux couleurs du métro en collaboration avec Adidas.
Édition limitée à 500 ex.
Prix : 180€.
Cher ? Pas quand elles font aussi office de titre de transport (jusqu'au 31/12/2018) une fois qu'on les a aux pieds ! pic.twitter.com/D99D6CQTzt

— Julien Duez (@Fluxke) January 10, 2018

After the launch of these trainers in Berlin, a number of French internet users have asked the RATP (Parisian public transport system) if a similar collaboration might be in the pipeline in Paris. The RATP jokingly replied via Twitter on 12th January, illustrating its post with a photo of a pair of socks in the Parisian metro’s colours. We take this as a sign that users will probably have to keep using traditional tickets and Navigo passes for a while longer...

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