The Lyon Part-Dieu train station and Saint-Exupéry airport are the two biggest transport hubs in the Lyon region, they welcome the majority of travelers and tourists who come and go from the city of Lyon or its surroundings.
Today there are several means of transport to get to Saint-Exupéry airport by departing from Lyon Part-Dieu train station, but this has not always been the case in the history of the city of Lyon…
The Rhônexpress offer
Rhonexpress is a regular departure from the Part-Dieu train station and Saint-exupéry airport between 6am and 8pm, being announced every 15 minutes it is important to count on a passage every half hour. The first departure of the tramway is at 4:25am and the last departure leaves the platform at midnight, if your flight is delayed and you arrive after midnight, you will not have too many solutions. You will not find any Rhonexpress tramway between 00:30 and 4:20 in the morning, whether from Part-Dieu, Vaulx-en-Velin, Meyzieu ZI or from Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport.
Very few possibilities are offered to travelers in terms of stops, since it is possible to reach the airport from Part-Dieu trainstation, Vaulx-en-Velin and Meyzieu ZI. However, the fare from these three different stops remains the same : 16,30€ per person and 20,30€ if the ticket is purchased on board the vehicle. The tramway also works the other way, to get back from the Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport. The stops served are the same as for the outward and the exorbitant price also, if there is one thing that the Rhonexpress does, it’s not gifts.
Price difference Rhônexpress – Shuttle Lyon
| Stops served | Rhônexpress | Shuttle Lyon |
|---|---|---|
| Part-Dieu | 16,30 € | 9,99 € |
| Vaulx-en-Velin | 16,30 € | 9,99 € |
| Meyzieu ZI | 16,30 € | 6,99 € |
Get to the airport cheaper with Shuttle Lyon
Shuttle Lyon does not offer a single route to get to the airport but several areas where our shuttles can pick you up and head for the Saint-Exupéry airport and vice versa. Among the stopping points we can find Part-Dieu, Charpennes, Vaulx-en-Velin, Mermoz-Pinel and Meyzieu. At night the stopping points are different since we serve Hotel de Ville, Perrache Place des Archives and Stade de Gerland. However, if you have the slightest need, do not hesitate to call us and explain your needs. We will propose a solution adapted to your needs.
In addition to getting you closer to your home, our shuttles have many advantages.
Firstly, the Shuttle Lyon service welcomes its passengers in high-end vehicles specially adapted for the transport of passengers. With our 7-seater Mercedes type minivans, you can enjoy the ride to and from the airport in a clean and comfortable vehicle. Our vehicles can be sedans, the goal is to offer the best experiences while optimizing our expenses. Conducted by professional and experienced drivers, Shuttle Lyon guarantees you a safe journey and an arrival at your destination at the estimated time.
Secondly, we wanted to be totally available for our passengers. This is why our shuttles leave every hour from Lyon to reach the Saint-Exupéry airport and vice versa, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Then, Shuttle Lyon is today, the cheapest and fastest way to reach Lyon city at Saint-Exupéry airport. According to our passengers, we have the best quality/price ratio currently available within Lyon in terms of city center/airport link with a travel time that is similar to the Rhônexpress.
A Shuttle Lyon necessarily stops near your home because we guarantee 8 drop points in total on our various courses. We also offer an option to pick up our passengers directly at home, this is ideal for a controlled and serene holiday, moreover the price of the shuttle is cheaper than a taxi or a private driver.
Unlike other means of transport available to Saint-Exupéry airport, our shuttles are able to take you or bring you back from the airport during night hours, if you flight was delayed or during a scheduled takeoff at dawn. The Shuttle Lyon team puts everything in place so that our passengers are as calm as possible during their trips to the airport or to return home after a long journey.
For stops available at night, you will find Perrache – Place des Archives, Stade de Gerland, Hotel de Ville and of course the Part-Dieu district. Regarding the stops during the day, you can use our shuttles from Charpennes, Vaulx-en-Velin, Meyzieu ZI, Mermor-Pinel and also the Part-Dieu district.
Rhonexpress and its history
The Saint-Exupéry airport has long suffered from poor public transport since it was inaugurated in 1975 despite the imposing work of art covering the airport station. The public transport connection between the airport and the city center has been a subject of many studies and projects for several years. Finally it was decided that it would be a tramway that would cross 4 municipalities (Lyon, Vaulx-en-Velin, Meyzieu to finish with Colombier-saugnieu, where is the international Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport). The tramway project was validated during 2007, and after more than 2 years of hard work, it was commissioned. Since 9 August 2010, the Rhonexpress tramway has made it possible to connect Part-Dieu train station and the international Lyon Saint-exupéry airport in about half an hour. However, travel by public transport to the Part-Dieu trainstation easily add 15 to 30 minutes on the journey time depending on the place of residence, it can even be higher.
Rhônexpress and Lyon people
Firstly, you need to know that so far, the Rhonexpress had no competition, so, if a traveler did not have a vehicle or someone to take him to the airport, he was obliged to take the Rhonexpress tramway, which still displaces many visitors today and more widely to the population of Lyon since its cost is considered exorbitant. This problem is so important that the removal by a relative represent 65% of the movement at the Saint-Exupéry airport (source : Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport).
In addition, this solution is nevertheless quite expensive and the price/quality ratio is not at the rendez-vous if we look at the opinions left by users. Indeed, this tramway is quite badly considered by its users, who are many to complain, first about the price of the ticket, which is currently the most expensive in Europe for a city center – airport link, but also the quality of service, which is usually not up to the challenge if we collect the testimonials of users on internet (Google’s rating of Rhonexpress at the Saint-Exupéry airport is 1,9/5 according to a hundred user reviews).
Indeed, many users complain about the service offered, whether inside or outside the tramway. A return ticket costs more than thirty euros per person, which can be very expensive when traveling with somebody or just with your family. For information, the cost of a taxi or a private driver is 100€ for family of 5 people from Lyon with the advantage of being recovered at home contrary to the Rhonexpress and the obligation to travel to Part-Dieu trainstation. The Rhonexpress is also judged by the fact that this mean of transport has no competition and therefore in the case where a user does not have a vehicle, he is obliged to take the Rhonexpress tramway. Many users have complained that there is a little or no indication at the exit of the tramway when arriving at the airport, however since this Year, 2019, the airport seems to set up new things. This proves to be a problem when we think of the many foreign visitors and travelers arriving for the first time in Lyon not knowing where to go to reach the terminals of the airport or conversely to join this express tramway to the Part-Dieu train station.
It is frequently heard that the officers on board are not all understanding the problems that may occur with certain tickets but also the lack of follow-up by the airline when delays or cancellations occur, it does not have a telephone customer service. To get an idea, the Rhonexpress service is currently rated with a score of 2/5 on TripAdvisor and 1,9/5 on Google.
