I’m sure one of you lovely people will be able to answer this for me. In the UK, pensioners are entitled to free travel on buses and to discounted travel on rail journeys. Are there any similar schemes in France for those of pensionable age? I’m thinking especially these who live outside of the main cities and may use regional bus services.
Thanks in advance.
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I can’t give you a definitive answer however bus services beyond big cities don’t exist. The bus stops you do see are onky pickup points for school children bus service.
I stand corrected if my observation is incorrect.
I think it would depend on where you are, there are busses (green line) from Tours centre to the towns and villages around us. Cant answer the bus pass question though.
Not sure where you are. Here in 24 we have bus services from Perigueux to a lot of the other towns. If you have similar you could try looking at their website.
Yes, just the cities and the towns/villages on the way. My son came from Angouleme on the Perigueux bus (and will go back that way) and the nearest point to here was Brantome about 15 kms away. But it is heavily subsidised, it cost them just 2 euros each and I wouldn’t mind betting that they could have gone the whole way to Perigueux for the same money.
Just while we are talking about fares, they can get from there to Nottingham for around 11 or 1200 euros for all 3, with changes at Paris and London though I expect it is only trains not stations (St. Pancras) at London. And all in the same day. Certainly something I will keep in mind should the need ever arise, I hate flying.
Also, because he was up too late to go to the shops with me today he rang a local taxi and the young lady took him the 4 kms to the supermarket, waited while he shopped (and he is a very slow shopper as I know only too well 
), loaded his bags, took him to the pharmacy and waited again and then to the hole in the wall before bringing him back again. All for 20 euros. 
I call that value and I now have the phone number in my phone. 
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SNCF do a “Carte Avantage Senior” for over 60s which gives you 30% off train travel, and capped fares at different rates depending on the length of the journey. It costs €49 per year, so do your sums to see if it would save you money.
For those who go to and fro across the Channel, DFDS offer a 20% discount to over-60s on the Newhaven-Dieppe route, though you have to phone them up to make the booking, the discount is not available on their website.
Eurostar also do special senior fares, but not on London-Paris I believe.
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We have a very useful bus service and no discounts as a trip is €1.50 to anywhere in the Department. The one I use most is 120km to the Departmental capital to get to TGV trains to London/Lausanne - for same price! But also to go to town for the day. Bus stop 3 km from my door, and €3return rather than driving round trip of 90km.
There is also an on demand service for a few villages on markets days but never used it so don’t know whether it functions well.
And on Black Friday one could get the card for €20 less, so just €29! Other discounts appear every now and then.
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Does that cover First Class travel? Last time I enquired it did not.
Sorry to correct you, this year it was only 33% off the French railcards including the Senior one, on Black Friday. So nearly 34 euros cost, and not the 25 euros under the 50% off current price of 49 euros, that was on previous promotions.
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Yes, they reduced the % off the senior avantage card gives on rail tickets but still worth having in particular for 1st. They also changed the rules so that you need the card to be valid when you book as well as when you travel.
There’s another interesting new pass variety about too - at various prices depending on demographic - a fixed cost for unlimited trains in France and a little outside, for the monthly rate. Minimum 3 months with 15 euros charge if you cancel it after 3 months and before 12 months. I believe the rate for the senior variant is 79 euros per month. On sncf.connect app or website in the passes section
In our departement adults have the right to use school buses of adolescents (not maternelle age kids) for the standard 2 euros a bus trip costs within the department. I’ve not tested it yet though.
We have very, very few buses other than school buses in 46. There is usually info on departement and mairie websites and sometimes regional info about as well. Communication on new services or changes does not seem to be proactive even locally I think we are expected to seek it out.
Talking about aid for oldies as we are, the gate bell just rang and I thought it a bit early for the aides to arrive, but it was a young man bringing this year’s Christmas hamper.
Nice thought but almost wholely inappropriate, all local (as in 24) produce mostly very greasy bits of ducks. There are some tasty little chocolatey things and a bottle of white wine but probably very sweet.
I sometimes feel for the ducks at this time of year, and that we too are being fattened up for Christmas. 
Oh David, you are missing a trick, our local duck stuff is fabulous! Tell us exactly what you got and we can find you some easy recipes, it isn’t really greasy once cooked and potatoes done in the fat are amazingly good. Damn forgot to buy a jar if fat for the roast potatoes
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We’ve a good bus service, though I only ever used it once. I think the fares are so low that there isn’t a seniors scheme.
Oh yes, I completely forgot about roast spuds, might brace myself than and open the jar.
What’s a bus ?
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Its what poor people use as transport ( Jeremy Clarkson)
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It’s a pathway between electronic components.
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Unfortunately in the main this is true - which means that services are usually limited to routes which make a profit (rather than which might provide a social good) because poor people are not, in general, life’s decision makers.
Don’t think this is true at least for the Senior card, unless it’s changed since the start of November of this year. I purchased our cards in September at half price, asked for them to be valid from the 13th December as I planned a rail journey on the 14th/17th, and then booked it at the start of November. I did get my reduction.
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