(Montpellier) After a festive countdown, public transport became free early Thursday evening for the 500,000 inhabitants of the metropolis of Montpellier, one of the largest European communities engaged in such an approach.
In the center of this student city, two colorful trams filled with passengers, some in disguise, stopped to mark the transition to free admission in the middle of a joyful crowd.
In Europe, Luxembourg and its 650,000 inhabitants have had free public transport since 2020, as has the Estonian capital Tallinn (445,000 inhabitants) since 2013.
In France, around forty communities have already taken this step but all are less populated than the metropolis of Montpellier and its 31 municipalities.
“Free transport is an idea of European commitment, of the Green New Deal, namely the climate and purchasing power,” explained the mayor of Montpellier Michaël Delafosse on Thursday.
“We decided to set up an association here to help other European mayors make this choice,” he added, welcoming the fact that the Spanish government is preparing to launch “free transport for summer “.
In Montpellier, before free travel, for a couple with two children, the total annual bill for urban transport subscriptions amounted to 1,472 euros.
“Given the price of gasoline, this measure can help reduce car use,” said Audrey Benezech, 46, director of a travel agency.
A campaign promise from the socialist mayor of Montpellier, this free service was imposed step by step, as in Tallinn. In 2020, it was deployed on weekends for all residents of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, then expanded in 2021 to the entire week for those under 18 and over 65.
It now concerns all residents with a free pass, available on the phone or via a card. The user will no longer validate, but must provide proof, in the event of an inspection, of a valid pass.
“We have equipped all tram trains with counting cells. They count, using a light beam, the number of people entering and leaving. This will help us to objectify our free policy,” explains Julie Frêche, deputy vice-president of transport.
Before the start of the implementation of this free service, there were 86,000 public transport subscribers, according to figures obtained by AFP. In mid-December, a few days before the launch, there were 260,000.
Degraded quality?
For residents outside the metropolis as well as tourists, the ticket (1.60 euros each) will remain chargeable and could even increase. A choice criticized by the opposition, who sees it as a brake on modal shift.
“We are missing the target,” laments Alenka Doulain, elected from the MUPES group (Montpellier, popular ecological and social union).
The Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole employment center attracts many “workers residing in neighboring areas and generates numerous home-work trips”, according to INSEE.
To compensate for the shortfall in ticketing, the community will rely on the mobility payment, a tax owed by companies with at least 11 employees, which has been increasing for three years.
It also provides savings of nearly two million euros thanks to the elimination of validators and therefore their maintenance.
In 2022, ticketing revenue represented 39 million euros, 90% of which was contributed by metropolitan residents.
Faced with fears of a decline in service quality, the metropolis responded with large-scale investments: 70 new electric buses and 77 new tram trains were purchased for 224 million euros.
The Montpellier metropolis is hoping for a 20% increase in attendance.
In 2019, before the health crisis, the number of trips in this community known for the development of its tramway reached nearly 84 million, according to a 2023 report from the Regional Chamber of Accounts.
However, it warned: with “the gradual introduction of free transport, the proposed transport offer has been degraded” and has “led to a reduction in the frequency of passage on several lines”.