It is one of the largest European communities engaged in such an approach. From Thursday evening, December 21, public transport will be free for the 500,000 inhabitants of the Montpellier metropolis. In Europe, Luxembourg, 650,000 inhabitants, has made public transport free in the country since 2020, as has the Estonian capital Tallinn (445,000 inhabitants) in 2013.
In France, around forty communities have already taken this step, including Dunkirk, Aubagne and Compiègne, but all are less populated than the metropolis of Montpellier which has 31 municipalities. In Montpellier, before free transport, for a couple with two children the total annual bill for urban transport subscriptions amounted to 1,472 euros.
“Free transport is an idea of the European commitment, of the Green Deal, namely the climate and purchasing power”explained Thursday to Agence France-Presse (AFP) the mayor of Montpellier Michaël Delafosse. “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 the summer”.
A campaign promise from the socialist mayor of Montpellier, this free service was imposed step by step, as in Dunkirk or Tallinn. In 2020, it was deployed on weekends for all residents of Montpellier-Méditionranée Métropole, then expanded in 2021 to the entire week for those under 18 and over 65.
Thursday at 6:30 p.m., it will therefore concern all residents with a free Pass, available on smartphone or via a card. The user will no longer validate but must provide proof, in the event of an inspection, of a valid Pass, renewable each year with proof of address.
“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 of free access, there were 260,000.
Paid transport for non-Montpellier residents
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’re missing the target”deplores Alenka Doulain, elected from the MUPES group (Montpellier, popular ecological and social union).
The Montpellier-Médiranée Métropole employment center attracts a lot “of workers residing in neighboring territories and generates numerous home-work trips”according to INSEE. “These people have already had to give up living in the metropolis because of land pressure” and will not see any improvement in transport, regrets the elected official.
To compensate for the shortfall in ticketing, the community will rely on the mobility payment, a tax owed by companies with more than 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 the quality of service, 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. This, however, warned: with “the gradual implementation of free transport, the proposed transport offer has been degraded” and has “leads to reducing the frequency of passage on several lines”.