Low floor bus routes?

Hello Folks,

I have been familiarizing myself with the RATP map regarding accessible bus routes since my wife is in a wheelchair. There are only certain lines that have ramp access. Since I will always be there to assist her, could we also use the low floor bus routes designated for those with limited mobility? This will give us many more routes to choose from to plan our travels. I can easily bump her up to a platform even 12 inches or more from the ground. I just didn%26#39;t know if the low floor buses had the wider door access and then space enough inside where we could park. Thanks for any insights from regular bus riders.

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Hopefully, some of the locals will be along to give you some more specific info, but I always use the buses when I%26#39;m in Paris, and the low floor buses do indeed have wheelchair/pram/pushchair area%26#39;s.

I love the Paris buses, as I can%26#39;t remember being on a bus that didn%26#39;t have either the lowering ramp access, or the low floor access. (The low floor access is in the middle of the bus - just make sure you put your hand out for the bus to stop, then go to the middle, rather than the front, to get on and off.) Having said that, I%26#39;m usually there less than a week whenever I go, so you would be better to rely on the route maps as I certainly wouldn%26#39;t have travelled the whole network.

I hope you both have a wonderful trip - Paris is beautiful!

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Thanks Kathleen for your thoughts. I knew the RER and Metro were probably not the best for us with a wheelchair. I just wanted to have some pre-planning done beforehand to make our visit more enjoyable. I didn%26#39;t want to be standing at some bus stop waiting for a bus that wouldn%26#39;t let us on anyway.

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Kathleen,

I watched people in wheelchairs access the lowered ramps and ride in the middle (there is an open area for strollers and wheelchairs). The drivers and passengers were very helpful.

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Thanks Ohio, but I was looking for specific information on those bus routes that do not have ramp access. They are called %26quot;low floor%26quot; bus routes for people with limited mobility. I was wondering if they would accept a person in a wheelchair even if they didn%26#39;t have a ramp. We easily would be able to board the bus as long as the door was wide enough and there was room inside to park.

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We used the buses extensively while in Paris in September. There were usually 1 or 2 prams parked in the middle of the bus, any day of the week.

One Sunday, there was also a wheelchair waiting in a bus stop (the person in the wheelchair had a minder who only helped him in, but didn%26#39;t travel with the bus). There were already 2 prams there. The driver stepped out, entered the middle door and appologized loud voice, quoting a RATP instruction that a wheel chair has priority with respect to a baby carriage. So one mother with her child had to leave the bus and make space, which she did. The other carriage in the bus was minded by a young father.

I don%26#39;t remember seeing so many children travel in public transportation in major cities in the US or Europe. (or seeing so many babies.) :)

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We%26#39;ll just be looking for a ride. I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;d accept pushing someone who was already there off the bus just so we could get on. We%26#39;d just roll on or wait for another bus. Not all Americans are obnoxious ; )

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If you haven%26#39;t already discovered this:

Go to www.ratp.fr, English, Finding Your Way, Interactive Map, Access to the Service

Then, click on the BUS icon (upper left corner) - daytime, evening, etc.

Then, on the right, under Accessbility, you can click on Accessible Routes or Low Floor Bus Routes.

Note that other routes (such as 69) are mostly accessible - stops that are not are marked with a caution sign (yellow triangle with exclamation point).

Other resources are useful if you nagivate the site in French:

For individual bus routes (with accessibility annotated), go to www.ratp.fr, Plan des Lignes, then BUS, and enter a route number. (You can print these for folding and tucking in your pocket.)

For transfers, it%26#39;s useful to print a %26quot;Plan de Quartier%26quot; from the home page, so you can see the locations of the stops for the routes you%26#39;ll be using.

When the buses stop, the driver activates a mechanism that causes the right side of the bus to lower. Sometimes, they%26#39;re not positioned quite advantageously at the curb...but I would guess that when the driver sees a wheelchair as he approaches, he%26#39;ll take more care in pulling as close and evenly to the curb as possible. Assuming the driver sees you, he%26#39;ll also open the back door (if no passengers are getting off). Most buses have ticket/Navigo machines at the rear door, and those buses have round buttons (about the size of your palm) to the right of the door which you can push to open the rear door if no one happens to be getting of at that stop.

There%26#39;s plenty of room opposite the rear door for a wheelchair and a couple of strollers (unless the strollers are loaded with accessories). Sometimes there are strollers, sometimes not. Strollers seem to be more prevalent during the day with very few after dinnertime.

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Thanks djkbooks for the detailed reply. Good bits to be more prepared. I had used the interactive map but will try the French version as it did look like it had more information available. It sounds like I won%26#39;t have any problem with the buses that don%26#39;t have a ramp. If a stroller can get on we should have no problem also. I clicked on your posting history and I think there is enough in there to write a guide book. That should keep me busy for a while! Thanks again.

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I can%26#39;t help you with bus info but both you and your wife will get in free at all the museums (usually waived past the line and sent right in). It’s a pretty nice perk!

Elevators however are often very, very small - you might not both be able to fit in some of the smaller ones at the same time. If you will be using an elevator for your accommodation you should check ahead of time to confirm how big it is.

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Thanks TrenSanDiego. It is a nice perk to have free access and appreciated. We did learn our lesson about the elevators in Europe on our first trip to Italy. We rented an apartment in Florence with an elevator so small we had to lift up on the seat to collapse the chair to get it through the door and then I had to sit on top of her for the ride up! For this trip we%26#39;re in the Marais (3rd), in a nice open studio apartment on the ground floor with only a small bump up for access.