The left has been asking for it for a long time. The right, through the voice of Emile Roger Lombertie, and Guillaume Guérin no longer says no. LFI took the plunge by launching a petition to speed up the process. The lights seem to be green today for free public transport in the Limoges area.
During a public meeting in town hall, on the BRT project, Guillaume Guérin, not really in favor of the idea at the start (“free service does not exist. In the end, there is always someone who pays” ) asked himself. “You have to ask yourself the right questions. You have to think about the impact on damage, the operation of the tool, and the cost that this represents. I’m not opposed today. It still has to be economically bearable. In Montpellier, it’s a fiasco. In Châteauroux, the mayor is temperate,” he said.
While waiting for such a decision to be made one day, we interviewed three communities, Montpellier, Châteauroux, Dunkirk, who said this in common: having said yes to free access.
In Montpellier
Mickaël DelafosseMayor of Montpellier
The cost
For the mayor of Montpellier, Mickaël Delafosse, free transport was a campaign promise in 2020.
“It’s an issue that reconciles the ecological issue with purchasing power. It is a positive ecological measure. » The chief magistrate, once the election was won, decided to implement his promise in stages.
“I started free on weekends. Then in 2021 for those under 18 and over 65. And December 21, 2023 for the 500,000 inhabitants of the metropolis. I did it in stages because you have to be serious about your budget. »
This measure cost the Montpellier metropolis 30 million euros. Or 5% of the metropolitan budget.
As in Châteauroux, the measure is financed thanks to savings linked to the elimination of ticketing but also by the mobility payment (contribution paid by companies which employ at least 11 employees).
“We put it at the ceiling, at 2%. The mobility payment brought in around 130 million euros. » But be careful to compare what is comparable. Montpellier has 500,000 inhabitants, “a very significant demographic and economic dynamism”, continues the mayor.
Attendance
The results are identical to those of Châteauroux: an increase in attendance of more than 28% with a drop in car traffic, in Montpellier center, estimated at 10%. According to Mickaël Delafosse, this measure is “a response to young people who are marching for the climate. It is also a measure aimed at a France which often feels neglected, one which pays taxes and which has the feeling that it is not entitled to anything. Last but not least, this is an extremely positive measure which gives people purchasing power. »
The balance sheet
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