Le Parisien is reporting that it has confirmed rumors that the RATP is killing off the RoissyBus which goes between CDG and near the Opera.
It says it will replace it with a bus that goes between CDG and another station (St Denis - Pleyel) where you can get on the metro (lines 13 and 14 and RER D)
But that is not going to be right by people's hotels in the heart of the city.
This is very disappointing. The RoissyBus has been my preferred mode of transport from CDG to/from Paris and the one I most frequently use. I also enjoyed making my way into the city above ground and actually seeing the city en route rather than tunneling underground. I very much doubt going through Saint-Denis will make any sense for my trips. Guess I'll finally have to take the Metro (which I really despise).
I am disappointed that this bus will disappear. In January I opted to stay at Astotel's Hotel Astra Opera specifically because* of its location near the RATP Opera bus stop. It was so convenient, especially because my inbound flight arrived in Paris late at night. I had only to walk a couple blocks to reach the hotel.
*The first reason I chose this hotel was the RATP bus stop, but a close second was that it has a small heated indoor lap pool. It was such a pleasure to swim a few laps each night, plus the hotel has a sauna next to the pool where I relaxed after the long sightseeing and walking days.
Yeah. This is very inconvenient for those who stay near the Opera.
is it so difficult to the Opéra? RER to Gare du Nord than over to Magenta for one stop on the RER-E to Haussmann and a linked walk to Opéra via Havre Caumartin - or possibly the last bit on the surface.
I haven't tried that but it looks pretty decent. I have certainly taken trains into both Nord and Est and used Magenta E to Haussmann.
is it so difficult to the Opéra? RER to Gare du Nord than over to
Magenta for one stop on the RER-E to Haussmann and a linked walk to
Opéra via Havre Caumartin - or possibly the last bit on the surface.
Well as opposed to simply getting on one bus at CDG and going directly to Opera? With no stops, no changes, and without ever going underground or dealing with stairs & escalators? Yes, I'd say there's a difference.
I thought of you immediately Phil when I read the news. : (
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!
is it so difficult to the Opéra? RER to Gare du Nord than over to Magenta for one stop on the RER-E to Haussmann and a linked walk to Opéra via Havre Caumartin - or possibly the last bit on the surface.
I haven't tried that but it looks pretty decent. I have certainly taken trains into both Nord and Est and used Magenta E to Haussmann.
Eh, it's not that convenient. Gare du Nord is a busy place for transfers, and it is hard to figure out which exit to take at Haussmann-St Lazare, which is deep underground. Also, RER E is not super reliable (but improving).
This being said, the new bus to Pleyel should be relatively free from traffic, and hoping it will drop you close to line 14, the ride on line 14 to St Lazare or Madeleine (both quite close to the Opera Roissybus stop ) takes less than 15 minutes.
Indeed, it's not often I disagree with Nigel (in fact, it may be the first time), but there is a big difference between a no-step, one-shot way into the heart of the city and the alternatives (of course one can have a no-step, one-shot way into the city via taxi, but at a much higher price - which is amortized if you are two or more sharing the cost).
One can hope, as Balso mentioned, that the new alternative will drop close to entry/exit for Line 14 and that the escalators and elevators along the line are functioning.
I still miss the Cars Air France buses. I know they got stuck in traffic sometimes but boy it was nice to sit back and relax, let someone else worry about the traffic and make it relatively close to where I needed to be for a much lower price than a taxi. (Of course for me with my annual Navigo pass, the RER to the airport is free, so the cost of the bus was not insignificant in its own right, but still felt like a nice compromise.)
I really liked the Roissy bus. I had an uncle in Sartrouville that I visited as often as I could. It was much easier to get the RER-A to Auber then the bus to CDG.
My uncle passed away last October so I won't be going as often.
I have a Roissy bus ticket on my Navigo easy. What will happen to it?
I agree, Kim, about the Air France buses. It was my usual way to get into the city. Reliable, cheap and relaxing. Still miss 'em.
Anyone remembers Le Bus Direct?. It did CDG Gare de Lyon. I miss that one.
Jeanette, I believe that Bus Direct was the same as the Air France buses. If I remember correctly, they changed the name toward the end of their run
Le Bus Direct was the best! Brings up a fun memory: On my first trip to Paris, I landed at CDG bleary-eyed from an overnight flight & unplanned 4am layover. I stopped at an info desk to buy a museum pass. The lovely woman asked where I was staying & how I was getting there. For all my planning, I just…hadn’t considered it. I guess I just thought “I’m sure I’ll figure it out when I get there.” I should note here I did not have cell service at the time & my French is limited. The tourism lady told me about the bus and gave me great directions on where to go. I have no idea what I actually would have done…thank goodness I stopped at that desk! I did wind up sending an email to the tourist office praising the kind and helpful service I received that morning.
According to the article the bus is often stuck in traffic, and had become less popular. But I think they should have waited a year till the CDG Express is operating before discontinuing.
In 2027 there will be a direct express service from Gare de L'Est to CDG. There is also going to be a new underground concourse linking Est with Nord, and Magenta. So the expectation is that most people will take that train.
When line 14 reached Roissy that caused a drop of 80 in the number of passengers on the Roissybus, which was then also cancelled...
I only ever took the RoissyBus when the RER B was down, and did in fact find on more than one experience that it got stuck in traffic -- perhaps fine if you're coming from the airport, not so ideal when you are going to the airport.
I'm not very surprised that RATP has opted for a new bus route that connects outside of central Paris. Montreal STM takes a vaguely similar approach with its 747 bus line to YUL airport, where roughly half of the buses take a "short turn" route that ends at Lionel-Groulx metro station outside of downtown Montreal (since for many passengers it will be faster to take the metro from there than to continue on the bus, especially if there's a lot of traffic.)
