Calling All Stifs

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Calling All Stifs ~

Calling All Stifs, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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You often see this sign, 'stif', as you chug around the train network, but in all these years I've never quite been able to work out what it is or does.

Here it says it's the organising authority for our transport in the greater Paris region, in which case it has a great deal to answer for, but I can't quite see what the point of advertising its existence can be. Don't they think that SNCF, RATP and RER are enough acronyms to stomach on a good day for the average tired and sometimes frustrated traveller?

Added to that is the fact that you never actually hear anything about STIF, or those who work for it, who I'm convinced must be called 'Stifs' or 'Stiffies' for their sins. Just what is this mysterious organisation and why should we care? Are we supposed to contact them when things aren't going so well? Should we spontaneously congratulate a passing Stif when our train arrives on time for once? All this remains grimly, grimily, gloriously unclear.

Calling all Stifs, please get in touch and put my out of my misery; who are you and what do you do? And who's the little white-on-blue guy in your logo supposed to be? Because if it's me running for a train I can appreciate that. But if it's supposed to be me dancing for joy at the efficiency of the Ile de France train system I might beg to differ.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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