A growing network
Additional resources are devoted to the development of this network, which is essential to the mobility of Ile-de-France residents, and particularly to residents of the outer suburbs. Between 2017 and 2019, Ile-de-France Mobilités improved 900 routes, which also resulted in the purchase of 500 new vehicles and created more than 2,000 jobs.
The improvements are mainly aimed at adapting the operation of the routes to the lives of Ile-de-France residents: increasing frequency of service during the day or at peak times and improving timetables, with buses earlier or later. Sometimes it is the route itself that must be adjusted to changes on the ground, such as new facilities or districts to be served, the transformation of a street into a pedestrian zone or the creation of cycle paths.
A network redesigned for the first time in 70 years
For example, the bus routes in Paris, which had barely changed for 70 years, were fundamentally reorganised in April 2019, in particular to better serve many neighbourhoods whose population has grown significantly since the 1950s.
Clean, comfortable and safe buses on all routes
Our objective: a clean bus fleet!
All buses ordered since 2016 run on either electricity or biomethane (also known as renewable natural gas). Our goal is the most ambitious in Europe in terms of energy transition: to have a 100% clean bus fleet by 2025 for the densest areas of the region and 2030 for the whole region! More than 350 clean buses are already running and, in 2020, around 600 clean buses and coaches will arrive on the network to replace diesel buses and coaches.
Welcoming these new vehicles means updating bus depots (Centre Bus) in advance so that they can handle the new technologies to be able to recharge with electricity or refuel with biomethane. In addition, Ile-de-France Mobilités is testing several hydrogen-powered vehicles on a bus route in the Versailles area.
And what about passenger comfort?
Since 2019, all the buses purchased by Ile-de-France Mobilités have been equipped with gentle air conditioning to improve passenger comfort, and a new interior design with, in particular, a new seat colour system to make it easier to identify seats reserved for priority passengers (blind people, pregnant women, the elderly, people who have difficulty standing, and so on).
Safer buses too
Beyond the CCTV and radiolocation which equips nearly 100% of the buses in the region, a human presence is essential to reassure passengers.
In addition to agents from SUGE (General Security) and GPSR (Network Protection and Security Group) deployed on the networks operated by SNCF and RATP, Ile-de-France Mobilités finances more than 520 conciliation agents across the network to support passengers on a daily basis.
Two hundred private security agents financed by Ile-de-France Mobilités and employed by the transport operators have also been deployed since 2017. Through their daily dissuasive presence, they guarantee the safety of passengers, employees and property, and heighten a feeling of safety.
Finally, an unprecedented partnership was concluded in 2019 with the Gendarmerie which allows its reservists, thanks to funding from Ile-de-France Mobilités, to carry out 1,000 patrols a year.
Get off on request
To improve the sense of safety for passengers and in particular of women who use buses late at night, Ile-de-France Mobilités has set up an on-request stopping service which means that anyone can ask to get off between two bus stops, so that they are closer to their final destination. This service, which is particularly useful when the stops are far apart, operates in the evening from 10 p.m. Seventy bus routes have this system in operation as of January 2019 and it is gradually being introduced to others.
Improving access to buses
Almost all buses and coaches now have the equipment needed to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. For a bus route to be considered accessible to people who need to use a wheelchair, at least 70% of the stops must allow them to get on and off the bus - Ile-de-France Mobilités finances the legal maximum of 70% of the cost of the work that is carried out by those responsible for roads (municipalities, inter-municipal authorities or departments) to make the bus stops accessible. It is not just a question of buses equipped with ramps!
The bus network in Paris has been fully accessible for more than ten years and this is also true for more than 500 bus routes throughout the region (September 2019), a figure which is constantly increasing (212 in 2014).
Practical information
Fares
The fare for a single bus trip is one t + ticket and two t + tickets for destinations beyond two zones. For holders of a valid Navigo pass, bus trips are included. For passengers using Navigo Liberté +, the ticket is charged at the price of a carnet ticket from the first trip.
Good to know: you can also buy your bus ticket by SMS, no need to buy your tickets at a ticket office or machine!
Bus times
The timetables and maps of the 1,500 bus routes can be viewed directly on the trip planner.