A word of advice before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: memorize the capital's metro map to remember the shortest route when the time comes! Because during the competition, Google Maps or CityMapper might not show you the easiest route, to smooth out public transport traffic and avoid bottlenecks if everyone takes the same lines at the same time! This possibility was raised by Laurent Probst, Managing Director of Île-de-France Mobilités, in an interview with Ouest-France.
The operator intends to roll out a new application during the Olympic Games, on which tourists will be able to buy their travel passes and plan their journeys in advance. But the routes will not be the same as those a Parisian would take at first glance. Île-de-France Mobilités would therefore like to force Google Maps to integrate its transport plans, to get from one point to another. The general manager says he is"confident that they will play along", in which case "the State will have to take the necessary decisions", i.e."close down their application", citing a"public safety issue".
After numerous reactions to what appeared to be censorship, Île-de-France Mobilités said in a press release that they were working with platforms such as Google Maps to "provide the best service to spectators", so that the route planners could be modified and made available in open data. Depending on the number of spectators and transport plans during the Games, the routes given should be the"most comfortable", to better direct the flow of traffic.
