Paris needs to improve its public transportation!



Having just got back after a two weeks business trip to Paris, here are some of my rants against its public transportation system, especially the metro.

I reached CDG on a Sunday evening. I went to the RER-B kiosk (Metro to the city), to discover the metro don’t run at that time. Did I hear it right? Metros don’t run on Sundays in Paris, at least on this airport line. There were some boards displayed that informed me that I needed to take “Roissybus”, presumably the name of a bus company, to the city. I needed to get the ticket first and I didn’t find any counter for this Roissybus.

I then went to an information desk and they said the RER-B metro ticket would also work on the bus. At the RER-B counter, I chose the option “From CDG to Anywhere in Paris City” and got the ticket for 10.5 Euros. I then walked to the Roissybus stop.

A bus came to Opera and I tried to validate the ticket. The machine won't accept my ticket! I was flabbergasted. After all, 10.5 Euros isn’t cheap. If RER-B tickets won't work in Roissybus, then why RER-B is selling these tickets even when the metro isn’t working? I had to get off the bus, to buy another ticket from the Roissybus counter, after shelling out another 13 Euros. I missed the bus and waited for another 1 hour to take the next bus to Paris Opera. Public transportation sucks in Paris, I thought then.

Within Paris Zone 1, the ticket cost just 1.8 Euros. But to and from CDG-the main airport, tickets cost 10.5 Euros, which is nothing but a deceptive tactic to screw the tourists. Tickets to stations just beyond the airport (despite more distance from the city) cost substantially less than this amount.

Fast forward two weeks. I was travelling back from Lisbon to Paris and landed at Paris Orly airport. I was wishing and hoping my earlier CDG predicament should not happen. I bought a metro ticket (13 Euros)to Paris valid in Orlyval and other metros. The route that I wanted to take is from Orly to Villejeuf Lois Aragon by T7 and then by M7 metro to my destination (Le Kremlin Bicentre).

And guess what, the ticket is again NOT valid in T7! I decided to travel ticketless; after all, I have a valid ticket and nowhere did I read the instruction that the ticket is invalid in T7. Luckily no one came to check the tickets and I reached Villegeuf.

At the Villegeuf, the metro wicket refused to validate my ticket. By the time I have started guessing this is what is going to happen. Paris Metro! I walked to metro service centre and explained the issue to the person. He politely suggested I walk through a manual wicket that he opened for me.

On my return, I knew something like this is going to happen. I reached Porte d’Italie metro and bought a ticket to CDG, 10.5 Euros. And guess what, the metro wicket won't open with my valid ticket. I can't get into the platform to take the train! At this point, I felt really pissed off by the metro system in Paris. Google maps informed me I should take T3a to Cite Universitet, then RER-B to CDG. I got out of the metro station and at the T3a stop, I tried to buy a t+ additional ticket. The machine takes only cash, and I was travelling with just cards. I got in the tram once again with a valid RER-B ticket. As expected, the ticket couldn’t get validated in the tram. Luckily I reached Cite Universitet. At the metro, again as expected, the ticket couldn’t get validated and the wickets couldn’t get opened (as my ticket is from Porte d’Italie to CDG, not from Cite Universitet to CDG). This is super ridiculous. I again went to the customer service, and the lady officer suggested I take the elevator to the platform to bypass the wickets.

At CDG another problem was waiting for me. I was with 30 KG load; a loaded backpack plus two handbags. The wicket was way too narrow for me to get through with my luggage. The way I managed this predicament was to leave a bag and get out of the wicket (this time the ticket did work), and request a stranger to bring that bag to me.

In a nutshell, Paris needs to improve the way ticketing works in its metros and public transportation systems. The existing system is dysfunctional and is a punishment to its visitors, both French and overseas.

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