An unlimited strike by the CGT-RATP union—now in its fourth week—continues to disrupt metro, RER and bus services in the French capital, according to live data from strike-monitoring platform StrikeTracker. Although minimum-service rules keep skeleton operations running, only 50 % of scheduled trains circulated on lines B and D of the RER during the Friday evening peak on 23 October 2026. Key metro lines 6 and 12, popular with tourists and business travellers alike, saw headways stretch to 10–15 minutes. The social movement began on 28 September over pay alignment and weekend staffing, but negotiations with RATP management stalled after the latest round of talks on 21 October produced no breakthrough. The walk-out coincides with an early-autumn surge in conferences—including the International Cybersecurity Forum at Paris Expo—which relies heavily on public transport links from hotels in Issy-les-Moulineaux and Montparnasse. International visitors are feeling the impact. Eurostar warns that missed RER B connections from Gare du Nord to Charles-de-Gaulle airport are now the top cause of onward flight rebooking fees this month. Ride-hailing demand has spiked 35 %, prompting Uber to apply peak-time surge pricing. The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau is advising event organisers to charter shuttle buses or time sessions to avoid rush hours. Under France’s 2007 minimum-service law, RATP publishes the next day’s reduced timetable at 17:00 each evening. Mobility managers should circulate the pdf promptly and consider switching travellers to TGV INOUï services that arrive at Paris-Montparnasse and allow hotel check-in before the late-commuter crunch. Employers are also reminded that strike-related delays do not qualify for French per-diem allowances unless expressly covered in assignment letters—a point many expat policies overlook. The Ministry of Transport estimates the strike is costing the Paris region €3–5 million a day in lost productivity and visitor spend. Unless the labour dispute is resolved soon, pressure will mount on the government to invoke emergency arbitration powers introduced in 2025 for “essential urban mobility services.”
