RATP buses - no air conditioning

[radamfi]

Many if not most northern European cities (outside the UK and Ireland) have many air-conditioning buses, but why not Paris, especially given the notorious heatwaves often experienced there?

 

[TRAX]

RATP has always considered air-conditioning to be inefficient due to the number of times the doors open, plus they found it too fuel-consuming, and not worth it given the moderately cool summers we usually have.
This is now changing as the regional transport authority, IDFM, is now the specifier of the buses and it has now decided to make A/C mandatory on all the Île-de-France buses. The first ones to be equipped are being delivered right now, they are articulated gas-powered Scania Citywide LFAs and Solaris Urbino IV Facelifts.

 

[radamfi]

moderately cool summers we usually have.

Average high temperatures in July in degrees Celsius (according to Wikipedia):

Oslo 22.3
Berlin 24.6
Rotterdam 22.2
Paris 25.2

Oslo, Berlin and Rotterdam have air-conditioned buses.

 

[TRAX]

Yeah I know, and the justifications given by RATP at the time are rubbish anyway.
They did have a period (2002-2003...) where they bought air-conditioned buses, though... didn’t last long.

 

[edwin_m]

Average high temperatures in July in degrees Celsius (according to Wikipedia):

Oslo 22.3
Berlin 24.6
Rotterdam 22.2
Paris 25.2

Oslo, Berlin and Rotterdam have air-conditioned buses.

On a quick search Paris was at 42.6 degrees one day this July, leading to various emergency measures. I imagine the increased incidence of heatwaves was a reason to specify this, rather than the average temperature as such.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Ouch, would not have liked to be on a non air-conditioned bus in 42°C heat!!

 

[TRAX]

Temperatures inside Paris buses rose to well in excess of 50 degrees C.

 

[thaitransit]

I don't know why any city would even consider buying non aircon buses or trains nowdays. However make sure the aircon can actually withstand days on end of mid to high 40s C summer shade temperatures. This is common in western Queensland in summer.

 

[AM9]

I don't know why any city would even consider buying non aircon buses or trains nowdays. However make sure the aircon can actually withstand days on end of mid to high 40s C summer shade temperatures. This is common in western Queensland in summer.

We might see a situation in a few years where air conditioning will need full justification on the basis of energy use.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

We might see a situation in a few years where air conditioning will need full justification on the basis of energy use.

I think it might even be the opposite - with an urgent need to get people out of cars and onto public transport, anything that makes the journey more attractive (like this, or better information on board, or easier ways to pay fares) could reduce overall energy use. More bills for the operators, of course, but I don't know how significant that is. Paris and London, the megacity hold-outs against air conditioning, might be different as nobody in their right mind would drive in the centre anyway and the buses there are already full. I wish TfL (and the UK's bus companies) would come to the same conclusion as IDF Mobilités.