It has existed for 60 years: this transport line will disappear in Paris in a few days.
With the Paris Olympic Games last year, the Grand Paris Express public transport project has accelerated. If it includes four additional automatic metro lines by 2026-2031 (lines 15, 16, 17 and 18), two metro lines have already been extended this summer: lines 11 and 14, shadow with other largely borrowed means of transport. In this context, it is an essential line between Paris and Orly airport which will completely disappear.
End of race for a bus that has been traveling for 63 years now! Launched in 1962, this line managed by the RATP linked the famous Place Denfert-Rochereau to the western and southern terminals of the highly frequented airport in Paris Orly. Île-de-France Mobilités has made the decision, in agreement with the RATP, line operator, and Paris Aéroports, to permanently close the service on March 3.
The buses were leaving every day from Place Denfert-Rochereau, from the morning of morning to night late, and still had his regulars, who called him “line 283”, better known as “Orlybus”. A petition was even launched against this closure: “The Orlybus line is crucial for the many passengers who travel daily between Denfert-Rochereau and Orly airport. The removal of this line can lead to significant congestion on other roads and disrupt the journey of thousands of people”, we could read.
In question? Competition with line 14 automatic Paris metro which was extended by 6 stations on June 24: its terminus in the south is now Orly airport. “Line 14 allows you to reach Orly airport from Châtelet-les-Halles in 25 minutes, while Orlybus offers departures every 10 to 20 minutes for 30 minutes of travel between Denfert-Rochereau and Orly,” said IDF Mobilités in a press release.
The frequentation of these two modes of transport pleads largely in favor of line 14 which is an automatic metro line and, moreover, accessible for travelers with reduced mobility: “since the extension of line 14 (…) The attendance of the Orlybus line recorded a significant drop of 70% between 2024 and 2022”, explains the RATP press service, While nearly 25,000 travelers are borrowing line 14 every day to reach Orly. “Rolling empty buses results in a loss of public money,” said IDFM.
As of March 3, to reach the Val-de-Marne airport by public transport, only these three courses will now be possible: take the metro line 14, the RER B and the Orly Val shuttle (who is currently on the hot seat) or the T7 tramway which circulates between Villejuif-Louis Aragon and Porte de l’Assonne.