RATP
Encyclopedia
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
operator headquartered in Paris, France. Formed in 1948, the group has its origins as the public transport operator for the city of Paris. Its logo represents, in a stylized version, the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
's meandering through the area around Paris as the face of a person looking up.
Today RATP is still responsible for most of the public transport in Paris and its surrounding Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region, including the Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services and part of the Réseau Express Régional (RER) network. In the Île-de-France region, RATP carries about 3 billion passengers per year.
Whilst the RATP's Paris operations are still a major part of the business, its operations have now extended to include businesses around the globe. These include involvement in the operation of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
and inter-city rail
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
services, located in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
History
The RATP was created on March 21, 1948, by combining the assets of the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de ParisCompagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris
The Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris , or CMP, was the forerunner of the RATP, the company managing the Parisian subway.- Origin :...
(CMP), which operated the Paris Métro, and the Société des transports en commun de la région parisienne (STCRP), which operated the city's bus system.
Earlier, the CMP had absorbed the Société du Chemin de Fer Électrique Nord-Sud de Paris in 1930 and the Ligne de Sceaux
Ligne de Sceaux
thumb|Old ligne de Sceaux, between [[Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse]] and [[Boullay-les-Troux]]"La Ligne de Sceaux" was a railway line in France running from Paris to some of its southern suburbs, including Sceaux from which it takes its name...
in 1937, which extended commuter rail to the suburbs. The STCRP had been created on January 1, 1921 by the merger of about half a dozen independent bus and streetcar operators in the Paris area. By the time the STCRP was merged into the RATP, all of its streetcars had been replaced by bus routes.
In the early years of the 21st century, a partnership with the Transdev
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
group resulted in RATP acquiring a minority shareholding in that group, with its many worldwide transport operations. However in 2009, the Caisse des dépôts et consignations
Caisse des dépôts et consignations
The Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations is a French financial organization created in 1816, and part of the government institutions under the control of the Parliament. Augustin De Romanet is the board chairman and chief executive...
, the majority owner of the Transdev group, started negotiations with Veolia Environnement to merge Transdev with Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
. As part of the resulting agreement, made in May 2010, it was agreed that the RATP Group would take over ownership of some of Transdev's operations in lieu of cash payment for its holdings in Transdev. This had a considerable impact on RATP's international profile.
On August 1 2011, the RATP Group purchased Stagecoach Metrolink Ltd, the operators of the Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
light rail system in the English city of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. This purchase includes a contract to operate the expanding Metrolink system that runs to July 2017.
Operations in Paris
RATP's services include:
- The Paris MétroParis MétroThe Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
system of mostly underground rapid transitRapid transitA rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
lines, which run throughout the city, with some lines extend somewhat beyond the city boundaries. The Métro has 16 lines, with 214 km (133 mi) of track and 300 stations, of which 62 provide connections between lines.
- Parts of the RERRERThe RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
, the Paris regional express railway network that runs mostly underground in the city and overground in the rest of the region. The RATP owns sections of the infrastructure of lines ARER AThe RER A is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France.The line runs from the western terminuses Saint-Germain-en-Laye , Cergy Le Haut , and Poissy to the eastern terminuses Boissy-Saint-Léger and Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy .* First inauguration: 12 December 1969*...
and BRER BThe RER B is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France.The line runs from the northern termini Aéroport Charles de Gaulle and Mitry-Claye to the southern termini Robinson and Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse ....
, and operates trains on the whole of those lines. The remainder of the system is owned by the RFFRéseau Ferré de FranceRéseau Ferré de France , , owns and maintains the French national railway network. The trains are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to European Union Directive 91/440, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure.Unlike other...
, the owner of the French national rail network, and the SNCFSNCFThe SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
, the French national rail operator, operates trains on all five lines.
- The extensive Paris city bus systemBus (RATP)RATP operates the majority of buses in Paris, and a significant number of lines in its suburbs. Other suburban lines are operated by private operators grouped in a consortium known as Optile ....
, including the night buses of the NoctilienNoctilienNoctilien is the night bus service in Paris and its agglomeration. It is managed by the Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France , the Île-de-France regional public transit authority, and operated by RATP and SNCF...
network.
- Three lines of the developing Paris tram systemTramways in ParisThe French region of Île-de-France, encompassing the capital city of Paris, currently has four tram lines, and is planning an additional line. Of the existing lines, three are operated by its public transport authority, RATP, which also operates the Paris Métro and most bus services. The fourth...
. The fourth and newest line, T4Paris Tramway Line 4Tramway line T4 is a tram-train line just outside the limits of Paris proper, operating in part on SNCF lines, connecting Bondy RER station with Aulnay-sous-Bois station. It opened on 18 November 2006. Unlike the other tramways in Île-de-France, T4 is operated by SNCF. The line is used by...
, is operated by the SNCF.
- The Montmartre funicularMontmartre funicularThe Montmartre funicular is an automatic funicular railway serving the Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris, in the Eighteenth arrondissement. It is operated by the RATP, the Paris transport authority...
.
In addition to these directly operated services, wholly or partially owned subsidiary companies of the RATP also operate in the Paris region. Most of these provide local and regional bus services in Île-de-France communities outside Paris, but they also include the Orlyval
Orlyval
Orlyval is a small automatic metro which runs a shuttle service to Paris's Orly Airport from the RER network, with which it connects at Antony station on line RER B.It was opened on 2 October 1991, the second line to use the VAL automatic metro....
automated airport people mover
People mover
A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
system, the FlexCité paratransit
Paratransit
Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
operator, and the Opentour tourist bus operator. These companies are owned through RATP's RATP Dev subsidiary, covered further below.
Worldwide operations
- Autolinee Toscane, a coach operator in the area around FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy - Azienda Mobilità e Trasporti, the operator of the public transport network of GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy - Bath Bus Company, an operator of City SightseeingCity SightseeingCity Sightseeing is a global sightseeing bus brand, started by Ensignbus and the Spanish , which operates tour bus rides worldwide.Typically the tours consist of an open top double-decker bus. As the bus travels around the town or city, pre-recorded or live commentary is provided. City Sightseeing...
franchises in the English cities of Bath, EastbourneEastbourneEastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, WindsorWindsor, BerkshireWindsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
and CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... - Cars Jacquemard, a bus operator in the EureEureEure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department of France - Cars Perrier and SQYBUS, joint operators of bus services in Saint-Quentin-en-YvelinesSaint-Quentin-en-YvelinesSaint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is a new town in the French département of Yvelines. It is one of the original five villes nouvelles of Paris and was named after the Saint Quentin Pond, which was chosen to become the town's centre. The town was built from a greenfield site starting in the 1960s. In...
, France - CTVMI, a bus operator in the YvelinesYvelinesYvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
department of France - CTY Réseau Impulsyon, a bus operator in La Roche-sur-YonLa Roche-sur-YonLa Roche-sur-Yon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the capital of the department. Its inhabitants are called Yonnais.-History:...
, France - Dolomiti Bus, an urban and interurban bus operator in BellunoBellunoBelluno , is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about 100 kilometres north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomiti's region. With its roughly 37,000 inhabitants, it the largest populated area...
, Italy - Ferroviaria Italiana, a regional train and bus operator in TuscanyTuscanyTuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy - FlexCité, a provider of paratransitParatransitParatransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules. Typically mini-buses are used to provide paratransit service, but also share taxis and jitneys are important providers....
services within the Île-de-FranceÎle-de-France (région)Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area.... - Fullington Auto Bus Company, a bus operator in the north-eastern United States
- GautrainGautrainGautrain is an mass rapid transit railway system in Gauteng Province, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, and OR Tambo International Airport...
, an inter-city train operator in South Africa - Gem Bus, a cross-border bus operator serving areas of France and Switzerland around GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
- GESTGestGest may refer to:* Gest, California, former town in Lassen County* Alain Gest , French politician* David Gest , American television producer* Morris Gest , Jewish-American theatrical producer* William H...
, operator of florence tramwayFlorence tramwayTrams in Florence consists of one operational fast tram line and two others under construction. The first line was opened in 2010 linking the city center with the neighboring comune of Scandicci....
. - GVO Giraux Val d'Oise, a bus operator in the Val d'Oise department of France
- Hong Kong TramwaysHong Kong TramwaysHong Kong Tramways is a tram system in Hong Kong and one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by Veolia Transport, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating Happy Valley...
, a tram operator in Hong Kong, China - London United, a bus operator in London, England
- Manchester MetrolinkManchester MetrolinkMetrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
, light rail operator in Greater ManchesterGreater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England - McDonald Transit Associates, a contract transit operator in the United States
- Mobicité, a provider of local and on-demand transport services in various parts of France
- OrlyvalOrlyvalOrlyval is a small automatic metro which runs a shuttle service to Paris's Orly Airport from the RER network, with which it connects at Antony station on line RER B.It was opened on 2 October 1991, the second line to use the VAL automatic metro....
, operator of an automated people moverPeople moverA people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...
system that connects Paris's Orly AirportOrly AirportParis-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
from the RERRERThe RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
network - Paris Opentour, an operator of tourist bus services in Paris
- RATP Do Brasil, operator of line 4 of the Sao Paulo MetroSão Paulo MetroThe São Paulo Metro is the principal rapid-transit system in the city of São Paulo and the largest in Brazil. It is also the second largest system in South America and the third largest in Latin America, behind Mexico City and Santiago....
, Sao PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... - STIVO, an urban bus operator in Cergy-PontoiseCergy-PontoiseCergy-Pontoise is a new town in France, in the Val d'Oise département, northwest of Paris on the Oise River. It owes its name to two of the communes that it covers, Cergy and Pontoise....
, France - TIM Bus, a rural bus operator in Cergy-Pontoise and Mantes-la-JolieMantes-la-JolieMantes-la-Jolie is a commune based in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center. Mantes-la-Jolie is a sub-prefecture department.-History:...
, France - TP2A, an urban bus operator in AnnemasseAnnemasseAnnemasse is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the border with Switzerland. It is the second town in the Haute-Savoie department with a population estimated to 29'450 in 2010.-Geography:...
, France - VTRA, operator of line 9 of the Seoul MetroSeoul MetroSeoul Metro is a public corporation which runs the Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 4.From 1970 to 2006, it was called Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corporation.-Lines:- See also :* Korail* Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation...
, SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea and line 1 of the Mumbai MetroMumbai MetroThe Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system being built in Mumbai, India's largest city. The system is designed to reduce the rapidly-growing city's congestion problems, and will be built in three phases over a 15-year period, with overall completion expected in 2021...
, MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India - Yellow Buses, a bus operator in BournemouthBournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, England