How Bus Travel Is About to Transform France

[craigt3365]

A new law has jump-started the French bus industry, and travelers will reap the benefits.

Tourists have long taken advantage of the French rail system to travel from city to city, but a new law will make bus travel more prevalent—and cheaper. The Macron Law, named for the French economy minister who proposed it, affects commerce all over France—including allowing retail stores to be open up to 12 Sundays per year—but the biggest change is that it will allow bus companies to compete with the most popular train routes for the very first time. This change will have repercussions beyond France, as new bus companies are opening up routes along popular lines from cities in France to other European hot spots like Amsterdam, Brussels, and Barcelona.

The price-comparison Web site GoEuro is now including buses in its trip-planning options. For example, a search for "Paris to Lyon" delivers several options, including a flight on Air France for $162, as well as two different bus routes, each about six hours and thirty minutes long, for as little as $6 each way. Meanwhile, a Paris–Lyon train through France's state-run SNCF network starts at $73 for a second-class ticket, although the trip only takes about two hours. While many travelers will choose speed over price, having more options will be especially helpful in emergencies (like train strikes or technical problems) or with last-minute bookings or itinerary changes. GoEuro expects that about five million people will take these new bus routes in and around France in the next year.

Continued:

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2015-08-20/how-bus-travel-is-about-to-majorly-transform-france-macron-law

[Asiantravel]

good grief that's interesting! I had no idea there were any restrictions whatsoever pertaining to bus travel.

Edited August 22, 2015 by Asiantravel