It's an inflated choice.

Thirteen years after the establishment of the shuttles linking the continent to Mont-Saint-Michel, the public establishment managing the Marvel has chosen to dismiss Transdev.

The multinational, which achieved nearly 7 billion euros in turnover in 2020, had been selected to operate the shuttles providing the link with the car parks, located 2.5 km from the tourist site.

After ten years of operation, the balance sheet for Transdev was not brilliant.

In addition to being loss-making, despite successive price increases, the shuttles were regularly overloaded at peak times.

In recent months, the imposing diesel vehicles were also considered too polluting.

This operation will not be without consequences for the public establishment, which is largely subsidized by the State and local authorities.

By choosing another service provider for its public service delegation, the EPMSM will have to contractually pay 12 million euros to Transdev, financed by a loan.

The reason ?

It was necessary to compensate for the years that the carrier lacked to amortize the purchase of equipment and the development of the huge car park.

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mont-Saint-Michel is the most visited monument in France outside of Paris.

The fleet will be replaced “in order to pollute less”

This delegation of public service (DSP) will come into force on October 14 and could result in a renewal of the shuttles, which arrive at mid-life.

“These buses can still run for ten years, but the fleet can start to be replaced earlier in order to pollute less”, according to Thomas Velter, director of the establishment.

In the meantime, "by the start of 2023, diesel will be replaced by less polluting biofuel".


With this new DSP, the number of rotations will be higher than it was with Transdev during peak times.

A report submitted to Matignon in 2017 estimated that parking and shuttles would "almost inevitably lead to very heavy additional expenses".

The new concession contract, “will generate a cumulative turnover of around 26 million euros”, with “1.6 million annual trips planned”, Keolis said in a press release.

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  • Economy

  • Mont Saint Michel

  • Normandy

  • Tourism

  • Keolis

  • Public transport