Do Paris metro cards expire?
 

I just found some unused metro cards from last year's carnet while cleaning out my bag for upcoming trip. Would they still be good this year?

Yes.

Fab. Thanks.

And if the turnstiles spit them out because they've lost their magnetism, an RATP clerk will grudgingly* issue new ones.

* Everything RATP workers do has been grudgingly lately. I think it's the Navigo Pass that has them <i>en col&egrave;re</i>. This innocuous little plastic slab is going to make a whole lot of workers redundant.

RATP workers never lose their jobs; the union is too strong.

Even with the advent of machines to replace ticket agents, the ticket agents are still there &hellip; they just don't have any real function now, so they doze off behind the windows. Technically, they still provide &quot;information and after-sales service,&quot; although one must wonder what sort of after-sales service is routinely needed for a paper M&eacute;tro ticket.

At best, the RATP can hope to not hire replacements for employees who retire, but they can't fire anyone.

Overall, over these past several years, the quality of service in the RATP has declined. The organization is spending lots of money on remodeling stations and installing machines to replace people, but the actual punctuality and condition of the trains and their reliability, as well as overall system load, have deteriorated. I'm not sure who's in charge at the momen (the RATP is one of those musical chairs that the ruling elite in France regularly pass to each other), but he or she must not be very bright.