Carte Orange
 

Is this in use in Paris any more? If so, what are the requirements and pros and cons?

TTT

Yes.

Requirements: €16 for a 2-zone. A 1x1" photo for the ID card (digital OK).

Pros: very cheap transport on RATP buses, Métro, trams, and trains, plus SNCF trains within the designated zones.

Cons: cards always start on Monday and run through Sunday. Can't be bought on Thursday.

In November, I just opted to get a 5-day visite pass and then fill-in with day passes as needed beyond the 5 days because...

1) the Carte Orange runs from the beginning of the week, so to get full use of it your days would have to coincide just right, starting on a Monday thru Sunday, I believe
2) also, you need to carry a passport type photo with your ticket in a little pouch...and yes, they really do check. Pretty much everytime I've been in Paris, in some metro station or another there have been officials checking for tickets and if you're carrying the carte orange, they will want to see the photo as well. If you decide to go with this option, you can bring an extra passport photo with you - or there are photo booths in many of the metro stations.

You may also want to factor in whether you will want to travel outside of the central city zones and organize your trip so that you divide up your metro pass purchases so that you do all your expensive zone travelling on successive days, for example a 5-day pass in the center (zones 1 & 2) and 2-day pass beyond those zones.
http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php

<i>Paris Visite</i> is rarely cheaper than <i>Carte Orange</i>. It doesn't matter how many days you're in town, or what day of the week you arrive. The formula is this:

If you will use the M&eacute;tro/RER network or get on a bus fewer than 5 times in a day, then use <i>Tickets 't'</i> bought in <i>carnets</i> of 10 for &euro;10,90 each.

If more than 5 times, buy a <i>Mobilis</i> each day that a <i>Carte Orange</i> won't work - for example, if you arrive on a Thursday through Sunday.

The only reasonable situation for a <i>Paris Visite</i> I know of is if you're spending a one-day layover from CDG.

I love the C.O. so much that I plan our visits to coincide with the 'right' days of the week! I will be devastated if/when RATP removes this bargain pass from my clutches.

Travelnut,
Me too! I thought I was the only &quot;nut&quot; who did that. Even though I always walk so much in Paris that the C.O. end up costing about the same or even a couple dollars more than the carnets, it's just so much more convenient than fumbling with a bunch of loose tickets trying to figure out which is used or not. And it makes one feel more like a local... :)

Thanks, everyone, for you expert opinions. I appreciate your willingness to share your wealth of experience!

Leburta,
If you're getting a Carte Orange for the first time, I suggest using the vending machine instead of buying at the counter, because some of the crankier RATP employees refuse to sell them to tourists. One station agent (at the Ecole Militaire Metro) claimed that the C.O. was meant for &quot;people who live and work in Paris&quot; and insisted that we could only buy the more expensive Visite card.

Buy the little ticket from the vending machine (the 1-week C.O. is called the &quot;Hebdomedaire&quot;) and then go to to counter to ask for the self-laminating orange card and the little plastic carrier (which has multiple pockets to hold the card and the little ticket, and is also handy for your museum passes, extra carnet tickets, etc.) Only the little ticket expires-- keep the same photo ID card for all your future trips.

Print out this page from parisinfo.com in English and show it to the &quot;cranky&quot; RATP worker. If s/he still refuses to do his/her job, find another agent. An uncooperative clerk is no more likely to issue an ID card than a ticket.

http://en.parisinfo.com/paris_map/ru...article%3d6771

(Footnote to my post above: if you're going to use public transportation more than 15 times during a calendar week [Mo-Su] then a <i>Carte Orange</i> is the most economical choice.)

I'm arriving on a Wednesday from Provence (bad planning) and leaving 2 weeks later on a Wednesday (more bad planning), so I'm torn.

It's hard to know how much you are going to use the CO (if you aren't getting the full week from it), although since I am staying in Quartier Batignolles, I am probably going to use it quite a bit....

I will probably end up buying one for the first partial week I'm there (Wednesday-Sunday), one, of course, for the full week, and just pay as I go on the final 2 full days...

Sound like a good plan?

MlleFifi's plan might work, as long as you really know what you are doing buying things from the machine (other posts on here from people complaining about how they couldn't use them or figure them out and then the metro clerk didn't help them out enough so they bought the wrong thing). Also, you absolutely MUST understand that you cannot buy a CO ticket from that machine and use it without the carte orange itself, which is the ID card to which you attach a photo. SO then you are going to have to explain to the ticket clerk about needing the card and why you don't have one since you've bought a replacement ticket, etc. Maybe that will all work, but if the clerk is cranky, they might get cranky at that point, also, if you don't speak French and can't explain what you want or why.

I have asked metro clerks for just the card only at times, mainly because I just wanted an extra one in case, and to have an example. I just asked them (in good French) if I could have a blank Carte Orange because I thought I'd lost mine, although maybe I'd left it at home in my apartment. They had no problem with that request.

I've heard of clerks refusing to sell it to tourists, also, of course. A clerk saying it was &quot;meant&quot; (is that literally the word that was used, in English?) for Parisian residents is probably true in the sense that was the goal for it -- to provide a pass for workers -- but that is different than saying a regulation restricts sale to only Parisian residents and no one else can buy one. The English word &quot;meant&quot; can be translated different ways to French, and the nuances would be different as to what those French phrases really mean. Actually, I don't think I've heard many French people commonly using the English word &quot;meant&quot; unless they speak fluent English, as it isn't a direct translation, especially in that sense which is rather idiomatic in English. Even in English, saying something is meant for someone isn't the same as saying it is illegal for someone else, or no one else should have it or can't buy it, etc.

PS Can COs be bought on Wednesdays?

A carte Orange hebdomadaire can't be purchased on wednesdays. It would be more expensive for the rest of the week than Mobilis (day) passes.

yes, that's the last day for that week's pass.

There are no sales on Thursdays - Wednesday is okay. Again: if you're going to use public transport (one M&eacute;tro/RER ride or one bus stage) 15 or more times Wednesday through Sunday, then <i>Carte Orange</i> is the way to go.

We have always purchased our Carte Orange at the D'Orsay RER station and had no problems. I always type up my request in French and hand it to the clerk after greeting them with a &quot;Bonjour!&quot; Typing up my request makes things go much more smoothly :-)
Now, this year, we'll be so close to the Invalides RER station that we plan to purchase our passes there. Anyone have problems purchasing a pass there?
Sandy

I was in Paris during the third week of January of this year, and bought our COs at Gare du Nord, on a Sunday. We used it from Monday through Friday, and it was worth everything single &quot;centime&quot; we paid!

Ooops ,i mistranslated (tought wednesday = jeudi instead of mercredi) - a carte hebdomadaire can be purchased on wednesday.
Well, for now, as a tourist the loophole allowing to buy this workers' pass is still open (at least in large stations, the smaller ones sometimes don't have the ID part available any more.
The cardboard ID will be completely discontinued at the end of this year (or sooner) - replaced by the navigo pass - the weekly coupons will still be available to those having an old ID part for a while.

Brazilnut, we are also arriving on a Sunday into Gare du Nord. So you can buy the CO for the rest of the week? I was wondering if we would have to wait until Monday to purchase them, and just fill in with single tickets on Sunday.

<i>Cartes Oranges</i> are sold from Friday onwards for the following week. So yes, you can buy yours on Sunday to be used the next day.

And yes, you will have to fill in Sunday with either single tickets or <i>Mobilis</i> passes (the latter if you contemplate more than 4 rides that day).

Yes, you can buy it on Sundays, but it begins to be valid on Mondays. Be sure to have a picture for the ID card. And make sure you don't keep you ticket near any magnetic objects - my ticket got de-magnetized and I had to go back to the station to get another... (Actually, I went to the Denfert Rochereau Station to get another). Remember that few Metro stations have ticket booths to solve you problem if the ticket gets de-magnetized).

If we get the Carte Orange for zones 1 and 2, can we ride to La Defense or other outskirts?

No, only in Zones 1&amp;2. Here's the map:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...nes&amp;fm=pdf

It should be noted that a single <i>ticket 't'</i> is valid for the entire M&eacute;tro network, regardless of zone.

I recall some discussion around La Defense, something along the lines that the Metro was in zone 2 but the RER was in zone 3..? So if you took the metro you'd be 'legal' but not if you took the RER (using the C.O. for zones 1-2).

Thanks for the information. I love the CO too, and am happy I can buy one on a Wednesday. Wasn't sure about that.

Note that, at some M&eacute;tro stations, it is no longer possible to buy tickets at the window; you can buy them <i>only</i> from the machines. The people at the window are there only for &ldquo;information and after-sales service&rdquo; (I kid you not&mdash;what sort of after-sales service does a M&eacute;tro ticket require?). It's a bizarre development. I suppose the RATP is trying to reduce headcount by installing machines, but the union probably refuses to allow anyone to be made redundant, so now you see agents sleeping behind the windows while you must buy your tickets from a machine.

My impression is that the goal is to convert all stations this way in time.

A side effect of this is that you no longer need the ID card with photo for tickets that formerly required one; at least this is what a ticket agent told me (thereby fulfilling his official function), just before telling me that I had to buy the ticket from the machine on the opposite side of the room.

Eventually the Carte Orange will be eliminated, so that the RATP and other, more shadowy agencies can track the movements of commuters with precision (you have to fill out a personal questionnaire to get the Navigo card, which will replace the Carte Orange). This will also make it impossible for tourists to benefit from these cut-rate schemes, which will bring a long-standing dream of the RATP to fruition (the current Carte Orange is indeed intended for residents, but they cannot legally refuse to sell it to anyone who asks for it).

&lt;&lt;&lt;Eventually the Carte Orange will be eliminated, so that the RATP and other, more shadowy agencies can track the movements of commuters with precision

There is no tracking system on the Navigo pass - the chip is there to eliminate the unreiable magnetic stripe.
and whatmay those 'more shadowy agengies' be?

&lt;&lt;&lt;you have to fill out a personal questionnaire to get the Navigo card, which will replace the Carte Orange&lt;&lt;&lt;
The most personal info is your name (already written on the old version), your address (or the work address for those not leaving around Paris but working there)and that's because the card is to be mailed

&lt;&lt;This will also make it impossible for tourists to benefit from these cut-rate schemes, &lt;&lt;
Yes, that's the goal, we - locals - pay heavy transport taxes plus - for the upper salaries - a part of our salary for public transport, basically we pay about the double than a tourist for a carte orage - not fair !

&gt;&gt;This will also make it impossible for tourists to benefit from these cut-rate schemes, which will bring a long-standing dream of the RATP to fruition (the current Carte Orange is indeed intended for residents, but they cannot legally refuse to sell it to anyone who asks for it).&gt;&gt;

Anthony,
If this is so, then why is it listed on www.parisinfo.com,in English, with instructions for using it?
&quot;Carte Orange
A weekly or monthly pass valid for zones 1 &amp; 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 4, 1 to 5, 1 to 6, 1 to 7 or 1 to 8. This card is non-transferable and you should affix a passport-sized photo to it and place it and the travel coupon into the cover provided. Don’t forget to copy the card number on to the travel coupon.&quot;
Sandy

I was under the impression that American credit cards no longer work in the automatic ticket machines..I really don't know because I've always bought my CO or carnets at the window.

American cards don't work at the RER/CDG station. They do work at other stations. I think if you have enough euro COINS you can work the automatic dispenser (but not bills).

Just wanted to double-check, they are phasing out the Carte Orange at the end of this year? Or will it be sooner? I would like to get one on my trip in September.

apologize for not having specifics but my understanding that after this March CarteOrange and its successors will only be available to local Ile de France area residents. This because it's a highly discounted pass to encourage use of public transit and is not meant for tourists, who however have bought and used it for years.
At times Fodorites have reported that some clerks refused to sell it to them, saying it was only for locals but at other windows they bought it.
So, though i'm not certain i think after March this will be a mute issue perhaps.

I've not read anything to that effect concerning March . Do you have an inside source PalenQ or a link? Would be interested if you do.

IMHO nothing is happening to the Carte Orange until the switch to 100 percent Navigo. Any date as to when this may happen is sheer speculation. Any idea as to how this will impact tourists is speculation as well.

There are some interesting Q&amp;A on this page.

http://www.ratp.info/informer/passe_...navigo_orange#

We bought our Carte Orange at the airport RER ticket window last week, at the same time we bought tickets to go into Paris. We purchased a zone 1-5 on a Saturday to use the following Monday. The agent had no problem selling it to us. This way we traveled on trains throughout the week to zone 5 , and still used it to return to the airport the last Sunday it was good. It was a great value!

Images, I usually see people saying to buy only zones 1 and 2. Why did you choose to buy 1-5, and do you mind telling how much more it cost? Thanks!

The rates are on www.ratp.fr under &quot;titre et tariffs&quot; or something like that...

People buy zones 1-5 to go to Disney and CDG or other locations beyond Paris (Versailles is in zone 4 so it would be covered, too.

The zone 1-5 was 31&euro;. I bought that because we went to St.Germain-en-Laye and a stop at Chatou on our return, and on another afternoon we took the regional train to Ecouen. Both of these destinations were in zone 4 or 5. The carte orange was also good for our return to CDG so it was a great value. We used it on the metro, buses, trams, RER and the regional trains.

&gt;&gt; I kid you not—what sort of after-sales service does a M&eacute;tro ticket require? &lt;&lt;

Navigo cards may require after-sale service. Magnetic tickets can be de-magnetized, etc...

The five last entry/exit recordings are stored inside the Navigo RFID chip, and certainly not on a central server (There is, however, a server which records - with much better accuracy since Navigo has been introduced - the number of entry/exits on the system).