tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920824949568249153.post9010953492320985318..comments2024-02-26T11:21:33.451-08:00Comments on Random streets: Lille, FranceMalc McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09115026391323131703noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920824949568249153.post-3679197381700633242016-02-22T03:26:43.913-08:002016-02-22T03:26:43.913-08:00I spent a few days last October travelling around ...I spent a few days last October travelling around the Greater Lille area last year with a 72 hour ticket. They are measured in hours from first validation rather than days, so 72 hours covered my four day stay. By way of contrast I also spent a day across the border in Belgium using a De Lijn one day ticket (measured in days).<br />Transpole contracts out its bus operations. In the outer area some of the vehicles were really quite elderly and tatty. There was not always a consistency about livery, or whether they were low or high floor. There has been a move towards the use of stored value cards for payment. What was striking was the number of journeys I made where the equipment was not working (drivers have a printed label they can place over the broken reader) and thus the number of people who were not being charged.<br />Citadine routes can be found operating around a number of centres. In addition to Lille itself they can be found in Armentieres, Halluin, Roubaix and Tourcoing. Carolle 1 and 2 are extremely long routes, with off peak running times in the region of 2h24m, with up to an extra 15m in peak hours. Most stops have realtime departure information. Many have shelters where the name of the stop is prominently displayed, as is a system map. As seems common in French urban practice departures are not at regular intervals, with each journey being individually timed. However, this did not seem to bother the local passengers greatly, but perhaps they were just used to it.<br />By contrast my day in Belgium was very much like UK and Netherlands operation. Again, buses are contracted out but in a standard livery and vehicle type, so presenting a more comprehensive image.Daddysgadgetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12892897553855129226noreply@blogger.com