Mid-month theme - subway day
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subway
Normally I don’t make any post during weekends, but the 15th of each month is the day for the « mid-month-theme » - subway – which I share with bloggers in NYC and Stockholm. This month’s theme is “ticket system”.
We just learnt this week that within the next two or three years there will not anymore be any personnel selling tickets in the different Paris metro entrances. The machines, which are already there, will be the only way to buy your weekly, monthly, yearly subscription or possibly some loose tickets. "Smart cards" (called "Navigo") are already in use. In the beginning of the 70’s the last “poinçonneurs” (metro employees who punched your tickets) disappeared… (If you have saved a ticket with a small punch hole from these days, you can sell it at a good price). Today some of the metro trains don’t even have a driver…
We just learnt this week that within the next two or three years there will not anymore be any personnel selling tickets in the different Paris metro entrances. The machines, which are already there, will be the only way to buy your weekly, monthly, yearly subscription or possibly some loose tickets. "Smart cards" (called "Navigo") are already in use. In the beginning of the 70’s the last “poinçonneurs” (metro employees who punched your tickets) disappeared… (If you have saved a ticket with a small punch hole from these days, you can sell it at a good price). Today some of the metro trains don’t even have a driver…
You can find today’s posts – and some other subway related posts – by using the following links:
New York City Daily Photo – Stockholm by pixels – PHO (Paris).
25 comments:
In Stockholm we've been talking about smart cards for a decade and we've finally managed to install lots of devices being used by a select group of pilot users but the system has been plagued with delays and all sorts of difficulties. Obviously a machine can be very good at selling tickets but I'd prefer human staff actually remaining in the stations, it's a matter of security as well as service to those who might need to ask a question.
Happy subway day, Peter!
Interesting post - who'd of ever guessed that hanging on to the "old time" tickets would be a worthwhile venture. Mementos of a past ticket system.
Very interesting. No personnel ? Why have they done so ? Any particular reason ? Or they just want to automate everything ?
No driver, no strike. In France, it could be a good reason to automate the métro...A sad reason but...In Rennes, the only existing line of métro is automatic and there is no problem. Is there any strike on the 14th one in Paris, Peter?
I wonder, if at some time in the future, new babies will have a chip implanted in their bodies that will give them access to everything. The fee will be paid at the time of birth. So that it will cost as much to enter this world as it does to leave it.
Even the machines selling tickets will be obsolete. Except, of course, those that you must pass through on your way to Heaven. And, not to be outdone on the other end, those on their way to Hell. LOL
Petit coucou pour toi mon cher ami... pas de métro pour moi ce WE, à pied, en bus ou alors à la nage, je me déplace. :-) Je t'envoie plein de bises et te souhaite le plus doux des WE.
j'allais dire la même chose qu'Alice. Cela dit à Paris, je me demande comment ils vont arriver à gérer les foules de touristes franaçsi et étrangers qui ont vraiment besoin d'être renseignés.
J'ai pris le métro londonien la semaine dernière et je suis tombée sur les fesses par le prix tout d'abord, (aussi cher que le taxi, finalement) et par sa complexité.
J'aime bien notre mini-métro rennais , le plus petit du monde mais où il y toujours de la place pour s'asseoir...
Hiya Peter....thank you for your well wishes about the process of my finger. Yes, I am able to type but still not able to bend coz it still hurts. Still going for hand therapy every week minimum twice and hope I can recover soon. Thank you :D
I find the employees at the ticket booth very intimidating unless we started off by greeting them in french :D Smart card? Great!!
Have a nice weekend Peter :D
We are slowing introducing the smart card system onto our train services too. It started a year ago but only a few stations have them. Apparently is wasn't very successful or else all the gates would have smart cards by now.
Interesting theme, here, in Madrid, there are a lot of people who love the subway of the world, they are a fanatic collectors of tickets, maps, pictures, old metro signs.
Nice weekend
Interesting how you have put a large shovel on the turnstile to stop people from dodging.
Matritensis: Rail transportation seems to attract enthusiastic collectors, travelers, photographers... ;) It's sort of a global phenomenon.
Hi Peter, sorry for having taken so much time; the point is that here I need at least one hour to revisit Paris through your lens, so you were the last on my list; but the last shall be first...
Let’s start with rue de Seine. Of course, the posts are excellent, and after reading them one knows everything on the subject. And even outside the subject; just see what you have taught all those tennis players that haven’t the faintest idea on how everything stated at the jeu de paume…
The point is that I must confess I’ve a problem with this street; that’s why I usually take rue Bonaparte to get straight from Rive Droite to St. Germain. In fact, every time I get behind the Institut de France (quite dark and less interesting streets at night), I start hesitating between Seine and Mazarine and end at the Alcazar or le Buci instead of Lipp or Vagenande. Not bad, anyhow… ;)
Or, if I’m on Pont Neuf, I’ll take rue Dauphine, where you may always make a deviation at rue Christine and visit Cagna’s La Rôtisserie d’en Face (not to speak of the Relais Christine, même chaine que le Pavillon de la Reine)…
Then we have Square des Batignolles and the lovely spring flowers you showed us; though you didn’t show where to buy them - «Pré Vert», the flower shop just around the corner…
Before writing whatever on the next posts, I must say that I adore Le Marais; actually I think it was probably the best thing that was made in 1969 by Andre Malraux was to save the Marais, when he declared it «protected area».
Now, the post of place des Vosges is fantastic. It’s one of my favourite squares in Paris, in particular in winter without rain; much less people around. Just missed the Pavillon de la Reine, a hotel where I’ll stay one day. And only you could find the garden behind Pacaud’s L’Ambroisie… ;)
Rue des Franc Bourgeois seems to be even nicer on your posts. The statue of Louis XIV at the courtyard of Hotel Carnavalet is magnificent! And as you even strolled around rue Vieille du Temple and the Au Petit Fer à Cheval, I was just waiting to see also Chez Marianne, (rue Hospitalières St Gervais, corner of rue des Rosiers, just around rue Vieille…) for the nice meal. Of course, you shouldn’t lunch twice… ;)
Finally, smart cards on metro: we have it in Lisbon since a long time ago – it’s Lisboa Viva and it works on metro, buses, and trains… Simple, easy and fast…
Have a great Sunday!
Gil
i hardly take the public transportation in KL nowadays.. i'll try one day...
AH ! Peter ! Rome ! Ma favorite station de métro !
Tu es parti dans quel sens cette fois ?
Vers Nation ça me botte. Il y a cependant une station que l'on est en train de "peler" entre Etoile et Rome, je ne me souviens plus laquelle. Villiers peut-être ? Tu devrais t'y arrêter.
J'aime beaucoup cette ligne, et ta photo aux couleurs douces qui atténuent la froideur du métal. Et les personnes regardant leur intinéraire apportent l'élément humain qui sera toujours là dans le métro : l'usager, dont une grande part de touristes un peu perdus...
Cergipontin publie aujourd'hui, donc pas demain, à plus et bonne fin de weekend)
Il faut avoir une pensée émue pour les équipes de l'ingénieur André Ampelas, Directeur des Systèmes d'Information et Télécommunications de la RATP, qui ont mis au point ce système "Navigo" ou "Passe sans contact" entre les années 1990 et 2000.
Comme souvent ces innovateurs ont rencontré beaucoup de difficultés dans leurs organisations et ont payé le prix fort en terme de carrière et de manque de reconnaissance.
Cela va de pair avec le manque de considération des techniciens", "ingénieurs" au profit des pseudo- gestionnaires qui règnent actuellement dans les entreprises et au plus haut niveau.
Merci pour les photos et désolé pour ce commentaire amer sur un sujet que je connais bien pour avoir été l'un des proches de cet homme.
wow! That sounds really cool!
But the train without a driver sounds SCARY!
the trend spread like plague ... smart cards, automated trains, pay online and all ...
sumhow, i dun mind waiting for a while at this particular bank for my banking thing ... there is this lady i have to see at least once a month ... she is so cute ... hehe
J'ai bien connu les poinçonneurs, on aurait dû les garder, ça éviterai du chômage et beaucoup de resquilleurs qui sautent au dessus des barrières.
I have a ticket stub from the Metra from 2004...will that get me far? lol
Je déteste prendre un ticket quand on ne peut pas poser de questions. (J'ai du prendre le métro à Helsinki l'été dernier pour aller quelque part que je ne connaissais pas (ou plus),et je ne savais pas du tout comment m'y prendre avec la saloperie d'automate qui ne parlait pas.)
Subway is one of the best way to travel the diferrent places of interest you want to visit.
It is better to buy value cards if you ride the train daily to avoid long lines at the ticket booth.
Riding a subway is great for tourists who are on a budget and does not want to spend their money on taxis.
Riding a subway can be a fun experience for tourist who wants adventure because sometimes riding the subway on an unfamiliar country can become difficult.
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