Paris and London Buses
Mar 1st, 2004 | 05:44 PM
#1
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Paris and London Buses
I am mildly disabled, trouble walking up and down lots of steps/stairs. Nervous about taking the Metro/Tube because of this. Is there a web site or somewhere I can purchase info on bus systems in London & Paris? Can you buy a discount pass for buses?
Mar 2nd, 2004 | 12:01 AM
#2
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Hopefully somebody else will be able to help you with info on London buses...
As for Paris, the buses form part of the city's transport network, called the RATP. The same tickets/passes are used on the metro and RER trains as on the buses. You can buy tickets or passes from metro stations and tobacconists (Tabac), or you can buy your ticket from the bus driver. Unless you have a multi-journey pass, you will need to validate your ticket when you get on the bus by slotting it into one of the little machines attached to poles at the front, middle and rear of the bus (this applies to tickets you buy from the driver, too). If you change buses in Paris, you will need to validate a new ticket for each leg of the journey (unlike the metro and RER, where you can change lines on the same ticket).
You can download bus maps and times from the RATP website: www.ratp.fr, then go to the English version and click on Bus, tram at the top right of the page.
More and more bus stops in Paris are being fitted with "Siel" displays which display the wait in minutes for each bus line serving that stop. I have found that these displays are not always very accurate, however.
Bus drivers are usually quite decent in Paris about waiting for people to get on the bus, or even letting people climb aboard once they have moved away from the stop. They may let people off between stops, especially when the traffic is slow. Of course some drivers are totally perverse and think it's fun to drive right on by the stop without picking anyone up at all. It's happened to me before (waiting for 20mins with about 5 shopping bags in the rain, only for the bus to zoom right past me!!)
HTH
As for Paris, the buses form part of the city's transport network, called the RATP. The same tickets/passes are used on the metro and RER trains as on the buses. You can buy tickets or passes from metro stations and tobacconists (Tabac), or you can buy your ticket from the bus driver. Unless you have a multi-journey pass, you will need to validate your ticket when you get on the bus by slotting it into one of the little machines attached to poles at the front, middle and rear of the bus (this applies to tickets you buy from the driver, too). If you change buses in Paris, you will need to validate a new ticket for each leg of the journey (unlike the metro and RER, where you can change lines on the same ticket).
You can download bus maps and times from the RATP website: www.ratp.fr, then go to the English version and click on Bus, tram at the top right of the page.
More and more bus stops in Paris are being fitted with "Siel" displays which display the wait in minutes for each bus line serving that stop. I have found that these displays are not always very accurate, however.
Bus drivers are usually quite decent in Paris about waiting for people to get on the bus, or even letting people climb aboard once they have moved away from the stop. They may let people off between stops, especially when the traffic is slow. Of course some drivers are totally perverse and think it's fun to drive right on by the stop without picking anyone up at all. It's happened to me before (waiting for 20mins with about 5 shopping bags in the rain, only for the bus to zoom right past me!!)
HTH
Mar 2nd, 2004 | 02:52 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
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London's bus network is very comprehensive and much cheaper than the Tube - plus you get to see London on your travels.
Look up www.transportforlondon.gov.uk for everything you could ever want to know about London Transport, includng buses. You should also be able to download a map of the Tube which shows which stations have disabled access.
Look up www.transportforlondon.gov.uk for everything you could ever want to know about London Transport, includng buses. You should also be able to download a map of the Tube which shows which stations have disabled access.
Mar 2nd, 2004 | 10:53 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2003
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Thank you both! This is such a great site because you can post questions and receive such great advice in an easy to use format. Believe it or not, you have eased my fear of public transportation in a foreign country, just knowing you can go to the Web and do your homework in advance. Thanks again!
Mar 2nd, 2004 | 11:37 AM
#5
Joined: Jun 2003
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I wouldn't be so nervous about metros. In Paris, the metro is much less confusing and more efficient than the buses.
In London, the double-deckers are fun to ride, and in some cases much more convenient than slow underground lines.
In London, the double-deckers are fun to ride, and in some cases much more convenient than slow underground lines.
Mar 2nd, 2004 | 11:48 AM
#7
Joined: Jan 2003
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We prefer the buses when we visit Paris.
Here is a recent thread on the subject:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34475568
Here is a recent thread on the subject:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34475568
Trending Topics
Mar 2nd, 2004 | 11:48 AM
#8
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
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There are a few things you can do to plan in advance for London - which isn't as friendly to mild disability as it should be
1. On the www.tfl.gov.uk site, do a search under "disabilty" This will help you identify bus routes that use level-access, single-deck buses. It will also throw up some ways of dealing with mild disability (if you're seriously disabled, there's a great thing called "dial a ride", but it sounds like you're too nimble to qualify)
2. Don't take double deckers
3. Use the Journey Planner to plot Tube routes. The routes it creates have icons at each stage showing whether you have to use stairs, escalators or lifts. The bad news is: there aren't many tube journeys that avoid stairs at every point. Worse still: the tube gets very crowded, and using those stairs is probably trickier when there's a lot of other people around. It really is worth investing a lot of time in planning tube journeys, and in finding alternative bus routes (there always is an alternative bus)
4. Remember that London's airports are very big, and we Brits do tend to walk a lot. If you're not totally nimble, you might think about getting a wheelchair to meet you at the plane when you arrive. It's almost certain that the distance from the plane, through Immigration, through customs, is longer than you're used to back home. And - dirty secret of the day - peole in wheelchairs usually get to the front of the immigration queue (as well as the security queue when they're leaving).
1. On the www.tfl.gov.uk site, do a search under "disabilty" This will help you identify bus routes that use level-access, single-deck buses. It will also throw up some ways of dealing with mild disability (if you're seriously disabled, there's a great thing called "dial a ride", but it sounds like you're too nimble to qualify)
2. Don't take double deckers
3. Use the Journey Planner to plot Tube routes. The routes it creates have icons at each stage showing whether you have to use stairs, escalators or lifts. The bad news is: there aren't many tube journeys that avoid stairs at every point. Worse still: the tube gets very crowded, and using those stairs is probably trickier when there's a lot of other people around. It really is worth investing a lot of time in planning tube journeys, and in finding alternative bus routes (there always is an alternative bus)
4. Remember that London's airports are very big, and we Brits do tend to walk a lot. If you're not totally nimble, you might think about getting a wheelchair to meet you at the plane when you arrive. It's almost certain that the distance from the plane, through Immigration, through customs, is longer than you're used to back home. And - dirty secret of the day - peole in wheelchairs usually get to the front of the immigration queue (as well as the security queue when they're leaving).
