Corol 39

From Mérignac or Pessac to BOD in 20 minutes

Corol 39 is a TBM orbital bus that reaches Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport in about 20 minutes from nearby western suburbs, without detouring through central Bordeaux. It’s mainly used by locals shuttling between Mérignac, Pessac and other west-side neighborhoods, so most airport info pages only talk about Ligne 1+ or the 30’Direct city bus. If you already live or stay out west and know TBM lines by number, Corol 39 can save a change of bus and a chunk of time.

The bus runs roughly every 20 minutes Monday to Friday and every 30 minutes on Saturdays; check the TBM timetable for exact first/last runs. Corol 39 serves the airport bus stops near the terminal complex rather than specific Hall A, Hall B, or billi doors, so plan on a short outside walk of a few hundred meters to your check-in hall. Standard TBM fares apply, so you pay the same flat ticket price as any city bus or tram instead of an airport premium.

This line makes the most sense if you’re starting in the suburbs west or southwest of Bordeaux, for example near Mérignac centre or Pessac, and want to reach BOD without backtracking via Quinconces or Gare Saint-Jean. Reddit regulars on r/bordeaux point out that Corol 39 is intended for suburb-to-suburb trips, not for visitors going to Place de la Bourse or the historic centre. Using Corol 39 to reach downtown usually means at least one extra transfer and a slower door-to-door time than Ligne 1+ or the 30’Direct.

If you land at BOD and your hotel is near central Bordeaux, locals strongly recommend heading to Ligne 1+ or the 30’Direct bus stop instead of trying to patch together Corol 39 with another bus or a tram. For a suburban Airbnb along the orbital route, though, Corol 39 can shave off one interchange and 10–15 minutes of looping through the city. The fact that almost no English-language trip reports even mention Corol 39 is your clue: it’s a local tool, not a tourist mainline.

One quick tip: before relying on Corol 39, pull up TBM’s trip planner with your exact address and compare it to a straight shot on Ligne 1+ from BOD; if the planner shows more than one transfer or a total time above 45–50 minutes to the centre, skip Corol 39 and stick to the main airport routes.