Paris to ban tourist buses from city centre
City receives 50 million yearly visitors
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paris is aiming to ban all tourist buses from the city centre following complaints about mass tourism from residents.
Emmanuel Gregoire, the French capital’s deputy mayor, said he wants to abolish “the total anarchy of tourist buses in Paris”.
“Buses are no longer welcome in the very heart of the city,” he told newspaper Le Parisien.
Visitors to the City of Lights are instead going to be encouraged to use the metro and public transport system, to walk or to cycle.
“Tourists can do like everyone else does and switch to environmentally friendly mobility options or take public transport. We need change,” said Gregoire.
The new legislation would likely apply to both hop-on, hop-off buses that go between the major attractions, and international tourist coaches.
Instead, new parking options would be introduced outside the city centre.
Gregoire said guides should adapt their tours to be done by bike or on foot.
The move follows a crack-down on electric scooters in Paris in June.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced plans to cap the number of e-scooters in the city, currently estimated to be around 20,000, and slash the number of operators from 12 to three.
She also plans to limit speeds to 12mph in most areas and 5mph in areas with large numbers of tourists on foot, after a spate of injuries from riders knocking down pedestrians.
Paris received 50 million visitors last year, while France as a whole is still the most visited country in the world, welcoming a record-breaking 89.4 million tourists in 2018.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments