what consequences for users in Paris and the inner suburbs?

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Europe, Paris and Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) have overturned the table. Users of public transport of the capital and its inner suburbs have not yet realized this. Those from the greater crown, certainly.

Changes until 2040

Since a European directive of 2007 (known as the OSP law for public service obligation), then the French law relating to the organization and regulation of rail transport (2009, known as the ORTF law), the liberalization of regional public transport is running. Clearly, the RATP, a historic public establishment of an industrial and commercial nature 100% owned by the State, is gradually losing its monopoly to the benefit of private companies. And all networks (surface or rail, bus, tram, metro, RER, Transilien) will be affected.

This large-scale privatization (for buses alone, 315 lines, nearly 4,800 vehicles for more than a billion trips and 19,000 workers concerned) must extend until 2040.

It started in the greater suburbs in 2021, not without some bumps. The allocation of “lots” to private operators (Keolis, Transdev, Lacroix-Savac, RATP Cap Île-de-France or DEV) led to rather harsh strikes, with agents protesting against the announced deterioration of their working conditions – mainly working hours which have increased without a salary increase. As a result, it was the users who suffered, with a degraded service.

What working conditions, what quality of service?

Should we expect the same scenario in Paris and the inner suburbs, where privatization has been officially launched? Tuesday November 12, 2024when IDFM voted to award the first three lots of bus lines in Paris and the inner suburbs (Marne and Brie, Boucles Nord de Seine and Bords de Marne) to Keolis and RATP Cap Île-de-France?

Has this privatization had the expected effects in the outer suburbs? What do users think? Will the prices be maintained, even though each year the price of the Navigo pass increases? Will IDFM manage to maintain the quality of service, which is already suffering from aging buses and serious hiccups linked to new electric vehicles?

To try to answer all these questions, BFM Paris Île-de-France and Paris newspartners in the weekly show “Île-de-France Politics”chose to ask three guests: Gregory of Lasteyrievice-president representing the city of Paris on the board of directors of IDFM, Celine Malaisépresident of the Left Communist Ecologist and Citizen group at the Île-de-France regional council and Marc PélissieuxIDF spokesperson for Fnaut (National Federation of Transport User Associations).

A meeting to follow this Thursday, November 14, 2024 live from 7:30 p.m.

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