Free coaches and trains on weekends and public holidays for 15-25 year olds in the Centre-Val de Loire from the start of the 2023 school year

2023-07-18 07:49:43

A first in France! From the start of the next school year, transport from the Rémi network (coaches and trains) in the Centre-Val de Loire region will be free on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and public holidays for young people aged 15 to 25. The measure was voted on during the regional assembly, meeting in plenary session relocated to Hanches in Eure-et-Loir, on June 29.

“Young people spoke out strongly at the end of the health crisis and the region heard it and developed its systems through a 2022-2028 regional pact for young people in our region”, says François Bonneau, president of the Centre-Val de Loire region. He adds that this measure responds to three priorities: the purchasing power of young people “who are among the public strongly impacted by precariousness”, the environment by favoring carbon-free mobility and “access to autonomy in leisure and job search.

The president of the region thus hopes that young people will acquire the reflexes of sustainable mobility as soon as possible and that they favor public transport in their travels. “This measure also contributes to the attractiveness of the territory. We want young people to take their first professional steps here,” adds François Bonneau.

This new service is in addition to the free school transport introduced in 2017 and represents an annual cost of around 7 million euros. To benefit from it, young people will have to go to the Yep’s platform to download a “Rémi YEP’S Centre-Val de Loire” discount card. For journeys in weeks, the 50% reduction on trains is maintained. A pre-booking of a free transport ticket must be made. For certain journeys, in order not to penalize users, youth quotas will be put in place. And for better flow management, at the end of 2023, additional Rémi Express trains will be scheduled for weekends on the Paris-Orléans-Tours and Paris-Orléans-Bourges lines. A transport offer that will also be adapted on busy weekends.