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What do night buses from Paris cost and which tickets are valid for them? This question is prompted by the unexpected result that the RATP app shows that a trip e.g. from Porte de Charenton at 00:40 to Massy Palaiseau taking both the T3a and the night bus costs 2.10€.

This seems to suggest two unexpected things. 1.) The same ticket for the T3a can be reused for the night bus (the same doesn't seem to be true for the RER which requires a separate ticket). 2.) The night bus from Paris to Palaiseau costs 2.10€ while this goes through 4 zones which for a normal (RER) ticket would cost 4.10€.

Is this correct? (I am used to night buses being more expensive, not cheaper, which makes me skeptical.)

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The general rule, in daytime, is that a single “t+” ticket is valid for either:

  • RER within Paris and (for now) any Metro station, including transfers between them;
  • Bus and tramway lines anywhere in the region, and transfers between them.

There are a few exceptions, like for the Orlybus and Roissybus lines. The total duration of the trip should be less than 1h30. Transfers from RER or metro to/from bus or tramway require a new ticket.

Noctilien night bus lines follow the same rules, however only lines with 2-digit numbers and line N135 can be used with a single t+ ticket. All other lines require two tickets.

Massy-Palaiseau is served by night buses N63 and N122. Using N63 will cost you a single ticket. Using N122 would require two.

The RATP journey planner is incorrect: it states that you can do the trip using N122 with a single ticket, which isn’t true according to the detail page for the t+ ticket.

Edit

Of course, RATP (operator) and Île-de-France Mobilités (organising authority) don’t agree. While they agree on the one or two ticket rule depending on the line, RATP explicitly says transfers are possible while IdFM says no, you need a new ticket for each bus. However the T&Cs on the same site say you can (and you just need to validate a second ticket if you switch from a single-ticket line to a two-ticket line).

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  • Thanks, I will also just add that in my experience the validation machine in the bus accepts the transfer from tram to Noctilien bus. Of course that might not be the actual policy and might not hold up if there is a random check.
    – Kvothe
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 13:47
  • @Kvothe the official policy is really a string of decisions which modify the rules bit by bit over years, so it’s quite difficult to piece it together. But if the validator accepts it, it should be fine (with the exception of requiring a second ticket if you step onto a two-ticket line).
    – jcaron
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 14:14

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