The City Council yesterday postponed action on whether to allow four Council members to take a free trip to France and the Netherlands to look at a bus system that could be used in the city's transit project.

The Council was scheduled to approve the gift of $7,500 worth of travel expenses from Phileas Advanced Public Transport System which builds what it describes as a "tram on tires" system. That would cover airfare from Washington, D.C., to Europe, and hotel and meals while on the four-day trip.

The decision was postponed yesterday until after the city selects the first phase of the multibillion-dollar transit project. Another vote on the transit system is scheduled for noon Tuesday.

Yesterday, Councilman Rod Tam said he won't be able to go on the planned trip because of a previous commitment to host visitors from Morocco in Honolulu.