RATP Reviews 2,443

There is the Marathon de Paris and the metros are dangerously full. The RATP knows this. It happens every year, yet metros are still circulating with 7 min intervals! Are you waiting for domeone to get killed as they are pushed off a platform because there are too many people waiting?
WAKE UP !!!!!

Do not use buss in Paris ,specialy nr 72,very rude officer and is a scam,ypu will get fine anyway you travel .

The worst company ever. They are very unreliable and we pay a lot every month. They find too much excuses to not run the trains or metros.

SCAM Horrific service. With a group of 70 children on a schooltrip and bought the right amount of appropriate groupetickets and got a fine of € 700,- because 2 kids where using the disabled gate when teachers were busy with crowd management. They also threatened to call the police.
Next day we got a € 200,- fine from the RATP gestapo for carrying filming equipment despite not filming. They work on commission

We had the worst experience Chaussée d’Antin–La Fayette Metro station. We were travelling with 2 little kids (one in stroller). We had to use the stroller entrance as we couldn’t get in through the regular entrance. We called using the help button in stroller entrance to ask them how to pay as we don’t see an option to pay in the stroller entrance. The person in the phone asked us to push the door. My husband kept asking how to pay and the person on the phone insisted to just push the door and enter. We were confused and thought this station might work differently and followed the instruction on the phone. As soon as we got through the door, RATP officers came running through the steps and got our cards and scanned them and asked to pay 70 euro fine each. We just filled our navigo passes in the same station and did not have any reason to cheat as we were leaving the next day. We explained to them that we asked and the person over the phone who spoke English insisted us to push the door. There were no clear instructions on the door for push chair and did not see a navigo option to validate our ticket. However they harassed us as a group and the lady who speaks English said she understood what we were telling but this is France and we need to pay fine. If we don’t pay, she will call police and the fine will be more than double. They were targeting parents with strollers as there is no way to validate the ticket if you are using stroller entrance unless you go to the other entrance and validate the ticket. As tourists, we didn’t realise this which is why we called the help button to understand how it works. They misguided us so they can make us enter without validating the ticket and trick us to pay fine. One of the female RATP officer speaking English also misguided us telling that we don’t have to use our navigo passes in any other travel for the remaining day as we already paid fine. She told to just show this receipt as proof that we paid fine. Luckily we realised later that this was a trap to get us to pay fine again and get caught as we cannot validate the receipt to enter any other stations. I cannot believe that the French RATP officials have to stoop to this level to earn commission. This says a lot about the culture as the law enforcing officers itself try to scam innocent tourists to earn commission. We have decided to not go back to this country as we could spent our money in a much friendlier country.

I bought 2 day tickets for the metro for my husband and myself. When 1 ticket did not work the ticket lady said it was paid and to just go through together. When we did that on the return trip, my husband got a 70 euro ticket to be paid right away or it would jump to 150 euro. Even though I had the receipt for both tickets. What a racket. Never using their transport again and would advise anyone to be wary.

Today at Gare du Nord underground, we had bought two tickets for two people but on the same phone - the second one didn't work at the gate. There were no agents to help at the gates but one was (probably deliberately) open and we could see agents a few metres down at the bottom of the stairs so we went down. Thought they might help. They did not. They shouted at us, bullied us, physically wouldn't let us leave until we paid them €70. Same thing was happening to a couple with a baby who had just pushed the pram through the open gate and so didn't validate ticket. Aggressive, scammy behaviour. Made me hate the city within 15 minutes of arrival.

Horrible Horrible Real scam !!!!
they are trying not to sell you the correct ticket, then they will fine you and the people working there are super rude, they refuse to speak english !! The ticket machine was not working, and no one was at the station to sell us the ticket. The machine only allows us to buy the infant one, and at the destination, they fined us, and they acted super rude as if we killed people !!! Horrible service, and I called it a scam. Be careful about Metro in Paris, super rude, racist people, I say

Absolutely appalling bullying and intimidating behaviour by RATP ticket inspectors yesterday when I boarded the tram with a ticket which I had been advised to purchase by RATP staff. I was surrounded, intimidated and forced to pay a fine despite clearly having paid for a ticket. There was zero compassion and no interest in helping me despite me trying to explain the situation.

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour.

..
I recently had two very unpleasant experience with RATP while traveling in Paris with my family, including a stroller. At the metro entrance near the Eiffel Tower (Bir-Hakeim, 19.08.2025, 10:25 p.m.) , my wife was specifically targeted during a ticket inspection, while I was only a few meters away. The inspectors spoke little English, created a high-pressure situation, and demanded significant fines, despite our valid weekly tickets (without photos, which the ticket office had assured us could be updated within two days).

Initially, we were asked to pay €75 per ticket, later “generously” reduced to €50 after discussion. The lead inspector was aggressive, and the situation caused stress for our children. It felt as if the system was designed to exploit minor mistakes, particularly affecting tourists and families with strollers.

This issue is not isolated. French media, including Le Parisien and France 24, have reported on RATP’s strict and sometimes aggressive fare inspections targeting tourists. There have also been questions in the French National Assembly about the fairness and clarity of RATP’s ticket inspection policies.

The RATP network is extensive, but the complexity of the system, combined with aggressive inspections and lack of English support, makes it stressful and unwelcoming for visitors. Bus travel is equally tricky, as tickets must be validated correctly, even when boarding with strollers on crowded routes.

Conclusion: Tourists and families with children should be extremely cautious when using RATP services. The system is complicated, inspections can be aggressive, and visitors often feel treated as targets rather than customers.

This is the worst scam company I have ever experienced. You would think as a tourist that a big metro/bus service company would be decent. But besides the outrages pricing. We got a fine while we showed our tickets. Furthermore, I wanted to speak to a English speaker who could help me out to reclaim my money for the outrageous scam. This was another mistake on my behalf, thinking these people would help me out. Because not only was there no English service, I paid 2 euros a minute for their shitty robit voice service number. Overall I would recommend people who visit Paris to use Ubers or taxi. Because the metro for tourist is Pure Scam. I will never visit this Beautiful but R*ped city ever again. I hope with this message that I can beware people for this scam and that you are careful. Because these people have no morals and above all no human decency.

3pm Lena station on 21 August
Full of tourist and agents refuse to help to sell ticket at counters
People were lost and queue was so big that we blocked the entrance to the metro gate. We put everyone included ourselves in danger because of the arrogance and laziness of the RATP employee

The system is generally convenient, but delays have become more frequent lately. Some are very outdated, and it’s hard to find clear information in English as a non-local. It gets the job done, but the experience often feels frustrating and stressful.

Would give 0 stars if i could. Tourists scam. Scanned cards that were topped up prior to going through. Then forced to pay €140 cause apparently the passes didnt validate. Very rude and arrogant towards us even though there was a baby in a pram and toddler.

I want to share a very negative and distressing experience with RATP, specifically involving a ticket inspection on July 18, 2025, which I found to be excessive, humiliating, and deeply disrespectful.

While visiting the Louvre with my family, my 9-year-old daughter unfortunately lost her valid metro ticket. To follow the rules, I immediately bought a new ticket for her — and I have the receipt as proof.

When we entered Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre station around 8:35 PM, the entry gates were visibly defective or permanently open. Like many others, we passed through without forcing or jumping anything.

Later, at Trocadéro station, we were stopped by a female ticket inspector. I calmly explained the situation and showed her the new ticket and the receipt, but she responded with aggression, accusations, and hostility.

She insisted the gates were not defective (even though they clearly were) and accused me of lying. My daughter became so upset that she started crying. Instead of calming things down, the inspector started yelling, and falsely accused my husband of taking a photo of her — which he absolutely did not.

She forced us to stand against a wall — publicly — which was extremely degrading, especially in front of a small child. She then demanded my husband unlock his phone and show his private gallery, without justification — a clear violation of privacy.

I asked several times for her name or ID number, but she refused. I do have the reference number on the penalty notice, which may help identify her.

What’s even more frustrating: I’ve been unable to file an official complaint, because the contact form on the RATP website doesn’t work, and emails bounce back as undeliverable.
There seems to be no reliable way to reach customer service.

This is not about the fine — it’s about basic fairness and dignity. We acted in good faith, bought an extra ticket, and were still humiliated, shouted at, and treated like criminals — in front of a child.

Extremely disappointing and unacceptable for a public service in a global city like Paris.

Experience with metro in Paris!
I want to share what happened to me in Paris so other travelers can avoid the same unpleasant experience.

On July 18th, I was traveling with my young daughter, who was sick and vomiting several times while we waited at Gare de Lyon to book train tickets for our next destination. Since no seats were available that day, I bought tickets for the next day and decided to stay one more night in Paris.

We went to the metro to reach our hotel. I used a Navigo card at the gate — it flashed green and was open, so I thought it had been validated. My priority was helping my daughter, who was sick and threw up again right after we passed through.

Just before boarding the train, RATP inspectors stopped us. They claimed our cards were not properly validated, even though we had scanned them at the entrance. I showed the cards and tried to explain the situation with my daughter’s illness, but they refused to listen. They issued a fine on the spot, and I paid in cash under stress. They threatened with the police, if I refused.

As a tourist, I felt shocked by how quickly and harshly they acted — no effort was made to understand or help. It felt like we were being treated like criminals for an honest mistake during a difficult moment. I later learned this is not an uncommon experience for visitors.

I have lost all respect for France as a country and Parisians as a whole. They must be well aware that there RATP employees are entrapping tourists riding their trains, and forcing them to pay $70 Euros or “go to jail”.

My family and I (retired US military) bought days passes to travel on the Metro. We tapped in at Luxembourg park, and had to transfer trains along the way. After exiting our train, we each had our metro cards in our hand. We walked through an open gate, and were detained by 11 employees. They said despite having valid day passes, since we didn’t tap them we had to pay a $70 Euro fine. I asked for the police and they refused, and refused to let me contact my embassy. They forced me to pay, or they wouldn’t give back our military Identifications.

This is so shameful, and I can’t wait to leave this horrible country. I would be ashamed if the U.S. ever treated tourists this way. Sad.

Ratp has the absolute worse staff working for them, rude, disrespectful controlleurs that don’t care about anything but collecting money from people.
Was impossible to validate our pass due to too many people in the tram, people squeezing from all sides, inhuman to have to travel like that being pushed around - or otherwise having to wait several trams to catch one bit less empty - impossible when you have to catch another train after. Despite clearly recognising that we had a ticket, they charged us and treated us very rudely.
I am 29 weeks pregnant and this situation was so upsetting to me - first having to get into a tram being that full - super uncomfortable being people will touch your belly/baby no matter what, impossible to avoid it and then getting charged in this rude way in addition. I hate ratp and I wish only bad things to the controlleurs that treated us so badly this morning at La defense. An absolute joke to even control with these tram conditions, causing more disruption, delay and stress to everyone.

Tourists beware:
Despite the intense heatwave, neither the metro nor the buses are putting on the air conditioner despite being equipped to do so.
The RATP hiked up their prices, but still they don’t put on the air conditioning?!!!!
They are clearly trying to save money at our expense!

Attention les touristes: Ni les Métros ni les bus même équipé avec la climatisation ne les mets et ce malgré les piques de chaleur ! Est-ce une question de budget?

London UK RATP dev
Regarding an incident that occurred on Saturday, June 2025, at approximately 14:00 at Staines Bus Station on your Route 216 to Kingston (Fleet No. DLE 30142, Registration LJ16 EYA, Driver Duty SA 552) The driver showed qualities that should not be there: humiliation, insults, bulling. We were travelling with my 10-year-old daughter, who is autistic. Upon paying for our journey, the driver incorrectly demanded that I pay a fare for my daughter, despite Transport for London regulations that children under 11 travel is free on London buses. The driver refused to accept my explanation, mocked us, and caused severe emotional distress to my daughter, who began crying and panicking. We were detained on the bus for approximately one hour while the driver refused to continue the journey unless I paid, despite the clear eligibility for free travel. This incident constitutes:1. A breach of contract of carriage.2. Negligence and emotional distress inflicted upon a child and a disabled adult.3. Potential discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.