The easiest way to get around Rennes is with the public transportation system. There are buses and a metro available with STAR: Le service bus et metro de Rennes Métropole. Everyone describes how the bus comes every ten minutes and the metro comes every two minutes. It’s pretty accurate, besides the bus schedule changes on the weekends. There are still buses, but the times are more dispersed.

A STAR bus is pretty similar to a SEPTA bus if you’re familiar with the Philadelphia area public transportation system. On the bus, instead of inserting your money into a coin acceptor, you have to tell the bus driver where you are going and then pay them for a ticket to put into the ticket acceptor. Right after you pass the bus driver there are acceptors available on your left and right. I normally don’t have to talk to the bus driver besides say “bonjour” because I use a KorriGo card. I just scan it on a part that’s connected to the ticket acceptor and it says “bon voyage” after it scans. Sometimes you can see the date of the last day you can use your card until you have to charge it again.

Espace KorriGo

The KorriGo card has my name and my picture. There is a chip visible on the opposite side. I’ve never taken it out of the clear casing, because you normally just have to place it on the scanner. My friend Claire laughs at me because I normally swipe it around the scanner, when I really just have to hold it on there for a couple seconds. It’s better to hold it there, because it might say error if you try to swipe it so quickly.

This card is able to be used for both the bus and the metro. I’m not sure what the subscription process is like, because my program provided the cards for us. We each had to pay for the duration of our stay here which was around 168 euros for 5 months. The subscription tariffs depend on your age and the 168 euros is for those between 20 and 26 years old. I only paid for four months, because I paid for the last two weeks in January instead of covering for the whole month. Other’s paid for the whole month, so they wouldn’t have to return to charge more onto their card. I did it just to save a few euros. You can find prices and deals for shorter passes or tickets on STAR’s website under “titres et tarifs.”

Link: https://www.star.fr/titres-tarifs/a-la-duree

It’s pretty easy to charge your KorriGo once you have one. There are STAR stations available and you can charge it at any tobacco shop. Tobacco shops are pretty prominent, because smoking is still a popular pass time over here. This was something I had to get used to. I always joke with my new friend that I’m going to get him to quit by the time I leave.

The Bus

The bus itself seems to always be clean and the interior design functions well. Most of the time its a two car bus with an area in the middle that moves when the bus turns. The middle is also an optional standing area. There are smaller buses that are only one car, but there are two exits like the two car buses. Designated mobility impaired areas are available in both cars. Larger seats towards the front are available for senior citizens or those with a disability as well. The buses also have retractable electric ramps attached to the exits. There are small square platforms you can lean against if you are standing. Most standing areas also have railings to hold onto. Seats are available in the back of the first car, between the middle area and the second exit, and then the majority of seating is towards the back of the bus.

There are two screens on the ceiling of the bus that lists the stops and updates as you come to each stop. Also, a voice comes over the intercom to let you know what stop you are arriving at and what the next one is. When you hear/see that your stop is next, you can click on a “stop” button that are found all throughout the bus. You can tell if someone else clicked it when the “arrete demande” sign on the ceiling lights up red. When you get to your stop, you have to press a button by the exit that says, “Pour Ouvrir Appuyer,” which means press to open. Then, the doors open and you’re good to go!

Warning: Security sometimes goes onto the bus to make sure you scanned your KorriGo or paid for the ride. If not, you could be fined.

Bus etiquette:

• It’s polite to say “Bonjour” or “Bonsoir” to the bus driver as you get on
• Leave the mobility disability areas open if possible (you are able to stand here, but just be aware in case someone needs the space) (This space is also used for strollers)
• Offer your seat to senior citizens (If I’m sitting and notice some boarding I move to a standing area right away) One time I offered my seat to an older lady and she encouraged me to sit next to her because the seat was big enough for the both of us 🙂
• Most of the time people keep a low voice, but depending on the vibe you can be louder

The Metro

There are metro stops all throughout the city and it’s the fastest way to get from one place to another. I normally use the stops at La Place de la République, Sainte-Anne, and the stop that takes me directly to my university. It’s really one main line with 15 stations. The line includes the direction J.F. Kennedy (West) and the direction La Poterie (East). Before getting to the train cars you have to swipe your KorriGo on the designated pillars. There are areas to buy tickets as well. You just have to insert the ticket into the pillars and it’ll spit the ticket back out for you to hold onto. It looks like you could easily get away with going on the metro for free, but if you get caught by security, you can be charged with a ticket. I heard from someone that the ticket costs around 80 euros.

There are seats available on the metro, but for the most part you stand and hold onto a railing. The doors are open for maybe 10 to 15 seconds and then a beep sounds right before the doors close. Don’t worry if you miss the metro, another one comes a couple minutes later.

Metro etiquette:

• It can get pretty crowded in the train cars. Just try to respect other peoples’ space and don’t look at them in the eyes. It’ll probably make them feel uncomfortable if you do.
• If there are a lot of people and you are trying to get through to the exit, it is polite to say “pardon” or “excusez-moi.” I hear “pardon” a lot more than “excusez-moi.”
• Same thing as the bus. Keep a low voice unless you feel it’s appropriate to speak louder.

My Route

Almost every day I take the bus and the metro. To get to school, I walk down the street to my bus stop and then let it take me to La Place de la République, which is like a main center for all the buses. Sometimes it’s annoying when I’m walking down the street and I can see my bus arriving, because I think to myself “if only I left a tiny bit sooner.” At least it really doesn’t take a long time for the next bus to arrive.

From La République I take the metro to my university which is only a few stops away. The metro comes out of the ground at one of the stops. It’s pretty cool to look out of the windows on either side of the metro while it’s above ground because you can see the tracks. It’s really convenient the metro stops right at my university. Most of the time it only takes me 15-20 minutes to get to school after getting on the bus from where I live.

There are videos available on Youtube that show you what the inside of a STAR bus and a metro car looks like. Just search STAR Rennes bus or STAR Rennes metro and options will pop up.

À bientôt.

– Nicole