Buses, driving mobility

RATP Group has been the long-standing operator of the bus network in Paris and its inner suburbs. In this extremely dense urban environment, the Group has acquired unique experience and a foothold across the various links in the bus value chain.

Today, through its dedicated subsidiaries RATP Cap Île-de-France and RATP Dev, RATP Group deploys its integrated expertise to the benefit of the regions in which it operates. Be it in the Île-de-France region, in France, or abroad, the Group designs, operates, and transforms networks to rise up to the major environmental and societal challenges of the day. By partnering with transport authorities and local authorities, RATP Group bus divisions have developed custom sustainable, efficient, and affordable bus service offerings that can be scaled to residents’ requirements, in cities as diverse as Paris and Casablanca, and from Columbia (South Carolina) to Mantes-la-Jolie.

Urban and intercity buses, school buses, city centre shuttles, demand-responsive transport, and transport services for people with reduced mobility represent the wide variety of bus services that can fit every need, combining service quality and innovation to promote what is a truly flexible and agile transport mode.

As an overground transport mode, buses continuously interact with cities’ ongoing activity, and with other users of public areas. Having acquired expertise in operating bus routes through dense urban environments, RATP Group relies on its specific on-the-ground knowledge to deploy bus service offerings across a wide range of regions, with a commitment to continuous improvement in service quality.

RATP Group worldwide

1.3 billion journeys provided yearly

Over 30,000 employees servicing bus operations

3,000 green buses (electricity, biomethane, and hydrogen)

Mobilising a community of experts for public benefit

Drivers, inspectors, traffic regulators, and maintenance operators make up the human dimension at the core of bus network operations. With an active role from the design phase to operations, RATP Group coordinates and integrates its renowned expertise in various fields, to increase the efficiency of networks of every size, and to provide a high-quality passenger experience.

Through training programmes, the Group invests heavily in developing and preserving these areas of expertise, with which it has stood out and led the industry. RATP bus teams are trained in-house at the NEF (nouvel espace formation, new training hub). This approach also applies to RATP Cap Île-de-France and RATP Dev, through their respective subsidiaries in France and abroad.

Over the course of their careers, teams continuously practice and perfect their driving skills in a dense urban environment, which is a guarantee of passenger safety, and a high level of service.

Our projects

Île-de-France region

Through the Bus2025 programme, the Group has committed to a major technological and ecological development: the large-scale conversion of RATP-operated bus fleets to electricity and biomethane by 2025. Bus2025 is a joint commitment with Île-de-France Mobilités, with support from the European Commission and banking group Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation. To accommodate the vehicle fleet conversion, 25 bus depots were given a thorough makeover, without any disruptions to service.

The goal of this programme, which was launched in 2015, is to halve CO2 emissions generated by bus traffic.

Morocco

In Casablanca, RATP Dev Casablanca, which operates a tram network that extends over more than 70 kilometres, enhanced the interconnection of transport modes by launching two Casabusway rapid transit bus routes. Casabusway relieves traffic congestion while providing smoother journeys in the Moroccan financial capital.

What makes this project unique is that rapid transit buses, which have dedicated lanes and priority at traffic lights, guarantee regular and higher service frequency, while carrying a large number of passengers.

Italy

In November 2021, RATP Dev subsidiary Autolinee Toscane took over the concession for the region’s public transport networks. Autolinee Toscane operates 965 bus routes, with a 2,700-vehicle fleet covering a total distance of 110 million kilometres each year.

Its goal is to provide a simplified, comfortable, eco-friendly and innovative sustainable form of local transport that meets some of the highest service standards in Europe.

For the Olympics - RATP Cap Ile de France

For the Olympics, a bus depot that defied all norms

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Île-de-France Mobilités provided accredited visitors with a dedicated bus fleet, which was parked at Europe’s largest temporary bus depot.

The norm-defying project was entrusted to a consortium consisting of RATP Real Estate, and RATP Cap Île‑de‑France. The consortium’s role was to commission and operate the depot, and streamline bus traffic, while also ensuring the proper working order of operations and maintenance facilities.

Did you know? In November 2024, RATP Cap Île-de-France won two out of three tenders, the Boucle nord de Seine and Boucles de Marne lots, during the first assignment of lots when bus network operations in Paris and the inner suburbs were opened to competition. In recognition of the Group’s expertise in bus operations, these early wins demonstrate how much trust Île-de-France Mobilités places in the Group subsidiary’s commitments to maintaining the highest level of public service quality.

Portrait de Patrice Lovisa — Patrice Lovisa
DIRECTOR, OVERGROUND NETWORKS BUSINESS UNIT, RATP GROUP

Advising urban public transport stakeholders

RATP Group has chosen to leverage its expertise in bus operations, by creating a hub to centralise its extensive skills and knowledge in bus engineering. The hub serves many goals: offering advice, pooling resources, and refreshing skills by providing technical support to various clients (transport authorities, local authorities, and subsidiaries).

Discover our portfolio of expertise