Metros Have No Money Trees

My mother has told me frequently that money doesn't grow on trees. I'm now telling myself that, in Toulouse France, if money did grow on trees, such trees would not be located anywhere near the metro....... or the bus stop.......or the taxi cab station......or the train station for that matter.
My first two full days in Toulouse, a Friday and a Saturday, I learned my lesson about urban transportation: it's EXPENSIVE!

In order to get to Le Mirail from my hotel room I needed to take a bus to metro line A. From university to my potential apartment I then needed to hop back on the metro line A and switch to B at Juan Juarez. To get back to the hotel it was B to A to bus. In the course of two days I spent 1.50 euros for each transfer on these silly little orange slips of paper that you use on the buses and at the metro turnstiles. The number of times I was forced to dig into my wallet so I could pay the bus driver for that orange slip while an entire bus full of French people glare at my incompetence.....it got to be infuriating and embarrassing.
Most cities, if not all, in France with public transportation will have a special card for individuals 18-25. This special treatment for college aged individuals goes beyond transportation. Banks, hotels, restaurants, museums, lots of places have discounts for young adults. I haven't discovered the philosophy behind it, but being 22, and thus a discounted individual, I blindly love it.
Having wasted too much money on single transfer tickets during my first two days here, I decided to visit the Arenes metro/bus station to get a carte pastel. On a whim I took my passport with my extra passport photos inside and my school acceptance letter. After standing in a waiting line for a good twenty minutes ( in France any appointment you have or errand you need to run will be accompanied by waiting so get used to carrying an ipod or a book) it was finally my turn.
The two young ladies helped me set up my carte account with no problems thanks to my whim. Turns out the requirements for a carte pastel are photo id, proof of residence, and proof that you are in fact a student. They were even willing to use my hotel as my residence until my apartment was finalized! I left the office with my inexpensive, rechargeable metro/bus/tram card in hand. Now, all I had to do was swipe my card and transportation was limitless!

Traveling around and seeing the sights can become expensive in a big city since you cannot walk everywhere. If you know you are going to be visiting for any longer than a couple of days my recommendation is to get a ticket for a week or ten transfers OR if you will be living there then get a carte.
-Tam in Toulouse