Before leaving for 10 days in Paris I recognised that this product is a must have, despite many conflicting comments on this forum as to who can purchase. I sided with the positive guys and took the advice of kdsails and travelnutty (thanks - you are legends) and rocked up to my local metro, and, in my best parisian tongue asked for, not one , but two carte orange, even though my wife was not with me. My parisian obviously did not fool the RATP guy as he responded in english - %26quot;dont forget your photo%26quot; as he printed out the 2 tickets. I responded in English that the passport photo machine in the metro was out of order and we would get one somewhere else. We got our mug shots to complete our package and went everywhere on the brilliant metro for the next week with the final trip to Gare du Nord to exit France. We kept our carte orange as a souvenir of our visit , but I dont think that they will become collectors items as this product is an absolute winner for both locals and tourists - it is a commercial product that encourages use of public transport and is available for anyone who wishes to purchase it. The local transport authorities would be crazy to cancel this product so talk of it being phased out sounds like absolute nonsense. It is a viable product and the price only needs to be increased to ensure its continued viability.
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Glad it worked out for you... keep that orange id card b/c you can re-use on your next trip, and you only need the ticket replaced. (at least - I *hope* it will still be available for %26#39;next time%26#39;..!)
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I think you may have misunderstood some things. The paper Carte Orange is in the process of being replaced by the Navigo card - a credit-card sized chip card.
For most people, this doesn%26#39;t change much - just that they need to %26quot;charge%26quot; this Navigo pass with their bank card every week or month, just like they had to buy Carte Orange coupons every week/month previously.
For tourists, however, this Navigo pass is not available. Only people living or working in the Île-de-France region can order one, by sending in a form with passport photo, proof of residence, etc.
At this moment, the two forms of the Carte Orange - the paper version with magnetic coupon, and the CC-sized chip card - co-exist without any problems. But as more and more locals get the Navigo pass, there will come a moment that nearly only tourists buy the paper Carte Orange. And then, the RATP will be tempted to stop selling the CO, and tell tourists to buy the (slightly more expensive) Paris Visite card - like they have told them for years.
Of course there%26#39;s also the technical side of this - there are now 2 kind of turnstiles, the old ones where you insert your coupon, and the new ones where you need to pass your Navigo pass over. You will see more and more of the latter. As long as the normal Tickets %26#39;T%26#39; and carnets are sold, the %26quot;old%26quot; turnstiles will not disappear. But it is expected that some day, normal tickets and carnets also will be replaced by electronic cards.
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I think the price margin between the C.O. and the P.V. is more than %26quot;slightly more expensive%26quot; - the PV is 11E more for 2 days%26#39; less use, then you have to buy something else, then x 2 people then the exchange so it%26#39;s more than $45US for a couple for a week, so that%26#39;s more than %26quot;slightly%26quot; to me. (that%26#39;s a 55-60% markup).
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The %26#39;..final word..%26#39; on the %26#39;..old format..%26#39; (two-part...separate photo-ID card...ticket coupon) CARTE ORANGE transportation pass...and the %26#39;..tourist loophole..%26#39; has yet to be written. As previously noted, this %26#39;..old format..%26#39; of the CO is going to be completely phased out by the new NAVIGO digitial system....and the %26#39;..tourist loophole..%26#39; closed. Though there was no formal announcement, it was expected that the old-format CO would finally be shut-down in July, 2007, when new transportation fares went into effect. Evidently, this hasn%26#39;t happenned...nor has there been any formal announcement as to when it might occur....but hat it will eventually occur is pretty much a dead certainty. At least for the purposes of tourist public transportation options, that will be the %26#39;..final word..%26#39;. In the meantime, be thankful for the delay and enjoy the %26#39;..tourist loophole..%26#39; and the significant cost saving that the CO provides.
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I agree that the price difference PV vs. CO can add up, but it may not be as dramatical as travelnutty makes it seem:
- The weekly CO starts on monday morning, you can start using the PV any day of the week;
- The CO is only available for a week or a month, the PV for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days; how many tourists use the CO during 7 days?
- No need to have passport photos made for the PV;
- PV offers discounts on a few museums, Arc de Triomphe, OpenTour, etc. - which could add up too;
- discounted rate PV%26#39;s are available for kids;
- and, strictly speaking, you%26#39;re comparing a 1-2 zone CO with a 1-3 zone PV. That doesn%26#39;t count for much as most people will travel mainly in zones 1-2, but it could make a difference (taking the RER to la Défense, for exemple)
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One of the reasons the traditional Carte Orange isn%26#39;t being phased out just yet is its significance to Parisian workers. Most companies subsidise at least in part the transport of their employees and ask for the paper ticket at the end of the month as a proof of purchase.
Though you do get a receipt each time you charge up the newer Navigo card, it%26#39;ll take a while before all accountancy departments start accepting them (my company only did a few months ago).
Since most Carte Orange buyers are working Parisians, they will want to be sure they can have their transport subsidised before making the switch.
Navigo is certainly more convenient but it is still far from being ubiquitous. I reckon the original Carte Orange will still be around for a while yet!
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Another reason is that there are a lot more people in Paris, with no fixed residence or postal address to mail the new NAVIGO passes to than city officials would care to admit. In addition to this, though initial applications for new NAVIGO cards exceeded expectations, the rate for new applications reportedly then dropped percipitously after the initial surge...due to a reluctance on the part of public transportation users...for reasons both rational and irrational...to sign up.
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I am leaving next Monday for Paris and am planning on purchasing the Carte Orange.
Can someone advise as to how to ask for one in French? I know little French:)
Thanks!
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I%26#39;m not sure of the grammer, and I%26#39;m sure there are more elegant ways of saying it, but I%26#39;d ask,
%26quot;Bonjour Mousieur, Je voudrais un Carte Orange, s%26#39;il vous plait.........Merci!, Bonjour!%26quot;
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If you are the shy type, the vending machines speak English and it avoids having to line up.
But that%26#39;s missing half the fun!
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