How to survive a strike in Paris

Strikes suck! Yes we all agree on it so let’s try to make the best out of the situation. Nobody is glad not to have its usual public transport in good condition but that’s the way it is so survive it and try to find a plan B for this day, which will allow the grumpy Parisians to grumble more!

Let me say that post is mostly dedicated to Parisians; even if the methods could probably applied to the city you live in.

- To have your eyes stuck to the RATP webpage because it is the only way you wille be enable to be informed in – almost real – time.

- Batobus rather made for tourists, Batobus is a little expensive: 12€ for 1 day and 8€ for the student, orange, integral, Emerald and Amethyst card holders (thus you!). Which ways do they follow? As its name suggests it, Batobus goes only on water (here thus the Seine) which limits the places you could go to. Here are the 7 stops: Eiffel Tower, Saint Germain des Près, Jardin des Plantes, Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, Hôtel de Ville and Champs-Elysées.

- Roller and roller again: well done to practice sport and it does not pollute! It will cost you 15€ or 10€ according to the supplier for one day; they also rent bicycles and tandems. The tandem is a kind of carpooling except you are on a bike.

- Velib': everyone loves Velib' but I doubt this new mean of transportation will be able to regulate all the traffic on this strike day. For sure, it won’t solve every Parisian’s problem because there are only 10 000 of them. Vélib' expects a massive activity today. Measures were taken to reinforce the device: the processing capacities of the call center will be increased and the JC Decaux teams (those which move the bicycles to balance them in the city) reinforced of almost 30%. And if not the electric bicycle exists too.

- Carpooling is good and luck you, there are sites which are there to help you. And yes Internet is also used to help and not only to do download illegal movies and music (I can hear my grandmother talking).

- To take the line 14 because it is the only one that is automated, therefore doesn’t need a person to run it, so Line 14 is never on strike. Try to walk a little bit more than usually to catch this line. And I have to say, that line is much cleaner and faster than the other ones.

- Your feet: this mean of transportation is not expensive (can I say free?), it is true that it tears up your shoes and is also annoying (for some of us) but it has also the benefit to put you in contact with your environment (exhaust) and to discover your city from a different angle.

- Segway: well it costs 65€ for one day so make sure you tried all the other choices before picking this one.

- UrbanCab: a sort of taxi opened and respectful of the planet. One can hail it in the street or book it in advance. There are only 7 of them in Paris so on your mark, get set, go!

Thanks to Wes(gathering in light) for the photo