E1327 - The Horse Bus

Blaise Pascal created the first organised public transport system: the carrosses à cinq sols (“five-sou carriages”), which had its first full day of service in Paris on 19th March, 1662.

Like a modern bus, the horse-drawn carriages followed fixed routes and scheduled departures, running whether or not they were full; a scheme authorised by royal patent under the reign of Louis XIV, granting Pascal’s partners exclusive rights to operate the service.

Each vehicle carried around eight passengers, linking areas such as the vicinity of the Porte Saint-Antoine with the Luxembourg district. Fares were standardised and the system...