Free buses and trams in Montpellier from December, a choice that divides the world of public transport

2023-10-19 05:45:00
Line 1 of the Montpellier tramway, in February 2018. HENRI COMTE / EPICUREANS

President of the metropolis and mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse is impatiently waiting for December 21. “At 7 p.m., my 2020 campaign promise will be effective: transport will be free in the metropolis of Montpellier, welcomes the elected socialist. This makes it possible to reconcile climate and purchasing power. You will see, this idea will continue to develop. » Vice-president responsible for mobility in the metropolis, Julie Frêche is even more lyrical: “The 19th century was that of the fight for secular, public and free education. The 20th century, that of the fight for Social Security for all. The 21st century must be that of the right to mobility, with free transport. »

This should facilitate access to education, public services, health, culture, work, etc. On Montpellier trams and buses, you will always need a pass, obtained with proof of address, but no need to pay, or even validate. “Instead, we are installing meters developed by a start-up from Lille, Webreathe. Transport will be a continuation of public space”rejoices Ms. Frêche, who came to the National Public Transport Meetings in Clermont-Ferrand to make contact with bus manufacturers.

Montpellier and the thirty municipalities surrounding it have progressed in stages towards free access: first on weekends, then, in September 2021, all week for those under 18 and over 65. The last step promises to be very costly: the metropolis is giving up 30 million to 35 million euros in revenue out of 39 million (in 2019), even if passing users should raise between 6 million and 10 million euros. .

Attendance on the rise

The shortfall will be financed by dynamic revenue from the mobility payment: this 2% tax on company payroll (at the maximum rate), which brought in 91 million euros in 2020, should reach 121 million in 2024. The first The positive effects of this move towards free access are already being felt. “We have doubled the number of young people who take transport and multiplied by one and a half the journeys of people over 65, even though we already have a high public transport modal share: 16%”details Julie Frêche.

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Since Dunkirk (North) moved to free transport in 2018, increasingly large cities and transport networks have become interested in the model – 45 in total, with Montpellier. The Languedoc capital is changing the scale of free access. This time, it is a major metropolis, the seventh in France with its 500,000 inhabitants, which is taking the plunge. Until now, the largest network was that established around Douai (North), with just over 200,000 inhabitants.

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