Lastly we have the tram and the busses. Trams are smaller electric trains that travel all over the city and are usually above ground. To use these you can purchase either a paper card or a monthly pass. You scan your card at the entrance of the station and then again when you get on the tram or bus. It's important to scan your card when you board because you don't scan your card again when you leave. In France and Italy, you pay based on how many trips you take instead of how far you're going. So I could buy a card with 10 trips for a flat rate of 10 euros, and those trips can be to just about anywhere. To compare, on the metro in D.C. the pricing is based on on where you are going. This means it can be $1.75 if I am only going to the next station or so, or up to $6 if I am going very far. France also doesn't have a different price if it's rush hour or not. So one trip is one trip anywhere at any time.
While cars are common, here, most people take the tram and the busses. People usually commute to work and school using a combination of both forms of transportation. My commute to school consisted of getting on the tram at my local station, getting out at the stop near my school and then taking the bus that goes up this huge hill to get to school. It is also not uncommon to just walk wherever you need to go. Many major cities in France have implemented "Pedestrian only" zones. These are areas that have been blocked off and don't allow any cars or trains to go through. The idea is to limit car congestion in those areas. It also helps to preserve some of the historic parts of a city such old Nice.
