List of trolleybus systems in France

This is a list of trolleybus systems in France by région
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...

. It includes all trolleybus

Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

systems, past and present.

Alsace

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Mulhouse Mulhouse Mulhouse \|mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...	9 Oct 1908 5 Jul 1946	14 July 1918 1968
	Strasbourg Strasbourg Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...	27 May 1939	31 Mar 1962

Aquitaine

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Bordeaux Bordeaux Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...	May 1940	1954

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Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Dijon Dijon Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....	1895 7 Jan 1950	1895 30 Mar 1966

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Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Brest Brest, France Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...	29 July 1947	1970
	Saint-Malo Saint-Malo Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...	1906 10 Jul 1948	5 Jun 1907 30 Sep 1959

Centre (France)

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Tours Tours Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...	5 Oct 1947	29 Jun 1968

Franche-Comté

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Belfort Belfort Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...	4 Jul 1952	1 Aug 1972

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Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Le Havre Le Havre Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...	1 Aug 1947	28 Dec 1970
	Rouen Rouen Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...	2 Jan 1933	26 Jun 1970

Île-de-France (région)

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Fontainebleau Fontainebleau Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...	15 Jul 1901	1913
	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...	15 Apr 1900 1912	12 Nov 1900 1914	at Saint-Mandé Saint-Mandé Saint-Mandé is a commune of the Val-de-Marne department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:... . at Saint-Mandé. Also Jan 1922 demonstration.
	♦ Vitry-sur-Seine Vitry-sur-Seine Vitry-sur-Seine is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:Vitry-sur-Seine was originally called simply Vitry. The name Vitry comes from Medieval Latin Vitriacum, and before that Victoriacum, meaning "estate of Victorius", a...	7 Apr 1925	8 Jul 1935
	♦ Porte de Champerret - Bezons Bezons Bezons is a commune in the north-western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Transport:Bezons is currently served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER, or suburban rail network. The closest station to Bezons is Houilles – Carrières-sur-Seine station on Paris... / Argenteuil Argenteuil Argenteuil is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Argenteuil is a sub-prefecture of the Val-d'Oise department, the seat of the arrondissement of Argenteuil....	8 Jan 1943	31 Mar 1962
> ♦ Porte de Choisy - Choisy-le-Roi Choisy-le-Roi Choisy-le-Roi is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:Crossed by the Seine river, it is located from the center of Paris.... and Porte d'Italie Porte d'Italie Porte d'Italie are located in the 13th arrondissement, at the intersection of Avenue d'Italie, Boulevard Massena, Avenue de la Porte d'Italie and street Kellermann, facing the Kremlin-Bicetre.... - Thiais Thiais Thiais is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The name Thiais comes from Medieval Latin Theodasium or Theodaxium, meaning "estate of Theodasius", a Gallo-Roman landowner....	16 Jan 1950	31 Mar 1966

Languedoc-Roussillon

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Nîmes Nîmes Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:... - Remoulins Remoulins Remoulins is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.The Pont du Gard is located in nearby Vers-Pont-du-Gard.-Population:-External links:* *...	10 Jul 1924	31 Dec 1927
	Perpignan Perpignan -Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...	21 Sep 1952	Jun 1968

Limousin (région)

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Limoges Limoges Limoges \|Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....	14 Jul 1943		See also Trolleybuses in Limoges Trolleybuses in Limoges The Limoges trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network of the city and commune of Limoges, in the Limousin region of the Great South West of France.In operation since 1943, the system presently comprises five urban routes.-History:...

Lorraine (région)

Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
Forbach Forbach Forbach is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It is located near the German border. Population : 22,784....	19 May 1951	1 Nov 1969
Metz Metz Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...	14 Sep 1947	30 Apr 1966
Nancy	27 Sep 1982		Dual-mode Dual-mode bus A dual-mode bus is a bus that can run independently on power from two different sources, typically electricity from overhead lines or batteries, alternated with conventional fossil fuel .... (trolley/diesel) operation until about 2000. See note.

Note for Nancy: TVR opened 28 Jan 2001, replacing dual-mode bus operation. Operation suspended 9 Mar 2001 - 13 Mar 2002 because of technical problems. TVR, Transport sur Voie Réservée, is the Guided Light Transit
Bombardier Guided Light Transit
Guided Light Transit is a public transport system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation and used in the French cities of Nancy and Caen....

system, using a centre guide rail and marketed as "Trams sur pneus" (trams on tyres). In Nancy, TVR surface guidance only covers a portion of the route, and the vehicles are able to operate away from the guide rail in electric mode, using trolley pole
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....

s, and thus the system is trolleybus, despite the Nancy operator's marketing it as the tram. TVR systems elsewhere use pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...

, and consequently are not commonly regarded as trolleybus systems (see note at bottom of list).

Midi-Pyrénées

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Montauban Montauban Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....	Jan 1903	1904

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Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Béthune Béthune Béthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...	1898	1904

Goods (freight) line:

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Leers Leers -References:*...	1910	1965

Pays de la Loire

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Le Mans Le Mans Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...	13 Nov 1947	1969

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Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Amiens Amiens Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...	1946	Feb 1963

Poitou-Charentes

Name of System	Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
	Poitiers Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...	9 Aug 1943	3 Mar 1965

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
Aubagne Aubagne Aubagne is a commune located east of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.The French Foreign Legion has its headquarters there... - Cuges-les-Pins Cuges-les-Pins Cuges-les-Pins is a commune situated east of Marseille in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France.-Population:-External links:...	19 Sep 1927	20 Jul 1958
Marseille Marseille Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...	13 Jun 1903 26 Apr 1942	1 Sep 1905 25 Jun 2004	First system connected Allauch and La Rose. Second system included an interurban line to Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is... .
Nice Nice Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...	30 Apr 1942	12 Sep 1970
Toulon Toulon Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....	7 May 1949	19 Feb 1973

Rhône-Alpes

Location	Date (From)	Date (To)	Notes
Chambéry Chambéry Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...	6 Oct 1930	Jun 1940
Grenoble Grenoble Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...	1 Aug 1947	24 Jun 1999
Lyon Lyon Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....	1901 4 Sep 1935	10 September 1907 -	First system located at Charbonnières-les-Bains Charbonnières-les-Bains Charbonnières-les-Bains is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-References:*... .
Modane Modane Modane is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860.-Transportation:... - Lanslebourg	20 Aug 1923	Jun 1940
Moûtiers Moutiers Moutiers and Les Moutiers is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:Moutiers, in the Eure-et-Loir départementMoutiers, in the Ille-et-Vilaine départementMoutiers, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département... - Salins (-les-Thermes) Salins-les-Thermes Salins-les-Thermes is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-External links:...	15 Apr 1930	Mar 1965
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...	1 Jan 1942		System included an interurban line to Firminy Firminy Firminy is a commune in the Loire department in central France.It lies on the Ondaine River 8 mi. S.W. of Saint-Étienne by rail.-Sights:Two historic churches from the 12th and 16th centuries are located here...

Note: The TVR, or GLT
Bombardier Guided Light Transit
Guided Light Transit is a public transport system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation and used in the French cities of Nancy and Caen....

, system in Caen and the Translohr
Translohr
Translohr is a guided bus system manufactured by Lohr Industrie of France. It is used in Clermont-Ferrand, Tianjin, Padua and in the mainland Mestre district of Venice in Italy. Translohr runs on rubber tires and is guided by a single central rail....

system in Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...

are not listed, as they not commonly considered to be trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

systems, since their vehicles use pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...

to collect current and therefore are not able to operate away from the surface guideway while remaining in electric mode. The GLT
Bombardier Guided Light Transit
Guided Light Transit is a public transport system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation and used in the French cities of Nancy and Caen....

vehicles in Nancy, by comparison, are able to do so, as they use trolley pole
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....

s to collect current, so the Nancy system is considered to be a trolleybus system.