The
Paris Bus service is tightly integrated with the Paris
Metro, run by RATP.
Tickets are interchangeable with the Metro.
All are single-decker buses, you enter at the front and exit at doors
at the centre or back. |
 |
|
When
boarding buses you must show your ticket to the driver and validate
it in the machines provided. Paris
travel card passes do not need to be validated, just show
them to the driver.
The buses in the central areas of Paris where most visitors travel
are very much secondary to the Metro. With Paris traffic conditions,
progress can be frustratingly slow.
The interior of each bus is designed for very short journeys - much
space is given over for standing passengers, seats usually fill up
fast.
Smoking is not permitted.
Buses do run 24 hours a day, but some routes wind down surprisingly
early. The 73 bus which runs the length of the Champs Elysees winds
down about 19:30. Most run much later, there is a skeleton night bus
service called Noctambus which runs in the early hours of the morning
radiating out to the suburbs from Chatelet.
You
can pick up a large public transport map from tourist offices, buses
on one side, metro and RER on the other. These are excellent as they
are overlaid on top of a road map, with all visitor attractions marked
clearly too.
Bus
Tickets & Fares
A single ticket is valid for one journey
and can be used on the Metro, RER, Bus and Tram within Paris and its
immediate suburbs. Single tickets are sold either individually or
in packs of 10, called a 'carnet'.
A carnet is a booklet of 10 single tickets. Bus drivers however do
not sell carnets.
Transfers are not permitted.
You cannot use the tickets for the Air France, Roissybus and Orlybus
airport buses.
|
Paris
Single Ticket Fares (€)
July 2007 - June 2008 |
| 1
Ticket Metro, Bus or RER within Paris, Zones 1&2 |
1.50 |
| Carnet
of 10 tickets, as above for Adult |
11.10 |
| Carnet
of 10 tickets, Child (4 to 10 years old) |
5.55 |
| Travel
Passes |
See
Travel Pass Page |
|
Balabus
There is a tourist orientated bus called Balabus. This is a sort of
hop-on, hop-off bus where you can use normal bus/metro tickets.
The bus starts out at La Defense and travels the length of the Champs
Elysees. It then follows the north bank of the Seine, past the Louvre
before going onto the island and Notre Dame. It then goes onto the
Gare de Lyon via the Marais and Bastille.
The return trip crosses over to the south bank of the Seine before
returning back up the Champs Elysees.
The route is divided up into 7 sections - you need one ticket for
each section.
The Balabus route is clearly marked on all bus maps.
There is another hop-on hop-off bus that is more popular, called L'OpenTour |
|
