Commissioned at the beginning of January, the new bus line of Lignes d’Azur meets a demand from parents while offering expanded service to the residents of Saint-Pancrace and Nice Nord.
Since January 5, the line 66 of Lignes d’Azur has been running between the hillside neighborhoods of Saint-Pancrace and Nice Nord. On Tuesday, January 13, a presentation of the route was organized up to the terminus.
The main objective of this new service is to facilitate access to the schools located below.
“The priority is to better serve the schools at the bottom, particularly Jean-Henri Fabre college, and indirectly Saint-Barthélemy college and high school,” explains an escort from the network.
A line born from local demand
At the origin of the project were repeated requests from families in the area. “The demand primarily came from the parents, but since creating a service, it might as well benefit all residents,” specifies a member of the Lignes d’Azur team.
The route was designed to connect the residential areas at higher elevations to the denser urban sectors. From the hilly area, the bus descends to Saint-Sylvestre, the main hub of the district, before providing connections with the rest of the network.
Presented in advance to neighborhood committees, the project received a favorable reception. It is seen as an added transportation option for the neighborhood, providing an additional transport offering.
A service that extends beyond the school framework
While school routes guided the initial planning, line 66 is not limited to these uses. Lignes d’Azur aimed to provide a service for everyone, not solely for school purposes. It is also intended to allow residents to move around and live in the neighborhood.
The line operates throughout the day to meet the daily needs of residents, whether they are students, workers, or elderly people.
A route adapted to the terrain
At the wheel of the bus, the driver assigned to the line highlights the smooth flow of the route, away from the city’s central traffic. “Here, traffic is smoother, it’s a change from the much denser city center,” he observes. The choice of a smaller capacity vehicle addresses the road constraints of the area: “a small bus is essential, as some roads wouldn’t accommodate a larger vehicle.”
According to the driver, initial feedback has been positive, particularly at the end of the day. “High school students and older people are happy, especially for the return journey.”
With line 66, Lignes d’Azur thus strengthens the local network of Nice Nord by providing a service adapted to the topography of the hills and to daily use.
Practical information
- Line: 66 (Lignes d’Azur)
- Commissioning: January 5, 2026
- Days of operation: Monday to Friday
- Hours: from 7 AM to 7 PM
- Frequency: approximately every 40 minutes
- Main connections:
- Line 57 (Jean-Henri Fabre college)
- Line 8+ (Saint-Barthélemy college and high school and city center)
- Type of vehicle: small-sized bus, adapted to the hillside roads.
