RATP (Paris) 8618 - 30 Apr 1992

Thursday 30 April 1992 (approx. 1400) – RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) 8618, a Saviem SC10, seen at Porte de Champerret on the northern edge of the city having worked service 165 from Asnieres. We had travelled on this bus from Rue Baudin/Place di 11 Novembre. All around the Paris ring are the ‘Portes’, the names stemming from the old city gateways taking their names of the distant provincial town to which the roads out of Paris led. Porte de Champerret featured a triangular bus interchange served by suburban services 163, 164 and 165 together with city services 84 and 92 plus service ‘PC’ (Petit Ceinture – the inner circle) which, although now split into sections, once ran as a complete circular around the perimeter of the city area.

RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) buses did not carry registration numbers in the normal way, the fleet number was carried as a registration number.