Clever and funny new etiquette guide for using the Paris Metro by RATP
Good manners are always appreciated … no matter where or how you travel! RATP, the agency that runs the bus and Metro public transport in Paris, has recently released a humorous “manuel de savoir-vivre” — an etiquette guide — for the modern traveler. Many of the rules hit home, especially if you’ve traveled on the train or buses in most places in the world – not just Paris! While the guide is written only in French, the humor of the illustrations is universal. Here’s a look at the 12 rules, as translated by Business Insider and the full guide is embedded below so you can scroll through the images.
On the platform
- Be courteous: Understand that the enormous crossed out cigarette is not a work of contemporary art, but a no-smoking sign.
- Be helpful: That means helping the guy in the Bermuda shirt with a subway map in one hand and his hair in the other.
- Be polite: Using your phone makes you unbearable.
- Be helpful: Hold the exit door for the person behind you. In life, never pass on the chance to come across a pretty glance.
- Be polite: Use your handkerchief, and not just to wave goodbye on the platform.
- Be helpful: That means taking an old lady’s bag…and giving it back to her with a smile at the top of the stairs.
Be polite: Use your handkerchief, and not just to wave goodbye on the platform.
On board
- Have manners: Share your new musical tastes on your social networks. Today, you can express yourself in silence.
- Be polite: Say hello to the driver, whether it’s a man or a woman.
- Be courteous: Don’t stare at a female rider, even if she has piercing eyes.
- Be courteous: Don’t start a duel with the knight who accidentally steps on your foot.
- Have manners: On the really hot days, play the penguin and keep your arms at your sides. Hold onto the bottom of the pole, not the top.
- Have manners: Don’t confuse the metro with the bathroom, even if both have tiles on the walls.
Check out the whole etiquette guide here:
Don’t forget … play the penguin on your next ride on the Metro, especially if you’re visiting during the summer!
