So the public transportation in Paris is fantastic. It’s probably the best that I’ve ever been on.
Things that make it great
1. It will tell you when the next train or bus is coming and the longest that I’ve ever had to wait has been maybe 1o minutes.
2. The trains out to the suburbs and the metro is connected
3. On most roads the buses have their own bus lane, so that instead of getting stuck in traffic, the bus is able to go right through
4. In addition to the metro and RER, there is also several tram lines that run around the edge of the city
5. The newest line of the metro, line 14, is ridiculously fast and it was also the first automated metro line, meaning that there are no train drivers.
What I don’t like
1. The bus schedule is super hard to figure out. For example, last weekend Carol and I were coming back from a fireman’s ball and we decided to take the bus back. Well, we ended up taking the bus in the wrong direction and we ended up in Northern Paris. Fortunately we were able to catch a cab and we made it Cité Universitaire. Unlike the metro and RER, the bus lines are really difficult to figure out. There are a bunch of lines that run right next to each other and the maps are really confusing. I’ve also found it really difficult to find the bus stop in the direction that I want to go on.
Overall, I think that the public transportation in Paris is outstanding and it is far better than anything that we have in the States.