Rouen – Buying a Bus or Tram Ticket by SMS: practical and efficient
In Rouen, the public transport network is managed by the Réseau Astuce. There are mainly bus lines but also two tramway lines called “Métro”.
When I had to go by bus to the car rental agency, I was wondering how I would be able to buy a ticket. In this period of coronavirus, the front entrances of the buses are indeed condemned to protect the driver, impossible to buy a ticket directly in the bus.
Upon inquiring, I discovered that there was a simple, fast and efficient way in Rouen: buying tickets by SMS.
The principle is childish: when you see your bus or streetcar arriving(and not when you see the ticket inspector arriving), you send an SMS to 93000. The price of the ticket will be charged by your telephone operator.
This service is available with an Orange, SFR, Bouygues and Free subscription but does not seem to work with prepaid SIM cards like Lebara.
You have two options:
- Send V1 to 93000 for a ticket valid for 1 hour at the rate of €1.70
- Send J1 to 93000 for a 24h ticket at the rate of 5,10 €
Immediately after sending your SMS, you will receive an SMS in return allowing you to justify your ticket in the event of a check.
Simple and efficient, bravo Rouen!
In the meantime, we continue with archaic cardboard metro tickets in Paris.
