In Lyon, free public transport for the most disadvantaged from January

Public transport in Lyon will be free for the most precarious from January 1, 2021. -

• The elected Sytral in Lyon voted this Monday morning free public transport for the most precarious: recipients of RSA and minimum old age and beneficiaries of the disabled adult allowance.

• Students are largely forgotten by this decision which will take effect on January 1, 2021.

• This measure estimated at 10 or 12 million euros per year, however, divides elected officials, fearing a slowdown in investments and therefore future projects to serve the agglomeration.

The decision was voted on Monday morning in the Sytral union committee.

From January 1, 2021, public transport in Lyon will be free for the most vulnerable.

By that, mean RSA beneficiaries and their children.

But also the elderly beneficiaries of the minimum old age and those receiving the disabled adult allowance.

This so-called “solidarity” pricing should concern 130,000 people.

A single rate of 10 euros, i.e. a reduction of 85% will also be applied to full-price subscriptions for recipients of the return-to-work allowance, assistance for unemployed people who create or take over businesses or scholarship holders.

Which should concern 70,000 additional people.

An unequal system?

If the free measure has been welcomed on the merits, it nevertheless raises many questions.

“Aware of the need to come to the aid of the most disadvantaged”, Michèle Vullien, centrist metropolitan councilor, wonders about the consequences of this decision.

"Go and explain to the minimum wage, who gets up every day to go to work, that he will not be able to benefit from it", she points out, convinced that "free access is not the solution to be provided".

“This is a negative message sent to people who find a job even with the lowest salary.

The first of the punishments will be to pay their transport ", abounds Alexandre Vincendet, the LR mayor of Rillieux-la-Pape, in favor of a" low "price:" It is to give dignity to people ".

"A symbolic euro or a symbolic cent would have been preferable to free, which is never a good thing", adds Daniel Valero, mayor of Genas and vice-president of the CCEL, community of municipalities in eastern Lyon.

A brake on investments?

According to Michèle Vullien, the measure adopted on Monday risks creating territorial inequalities.

“The free will only apply to the metropolis.

What about the rest of the Rhône department?

“, She asks, also concerned about the preservation of investments during the next term.

A point shared by Alexandre Vincendet.

“The cost of this measure (between 10 and 12 million euros for Sytral) will be increased if the number of RSA beneficiaries increases over the next few years.

With the economic and social crisis we are going through, we cannot have any guarantees, ”he said.

Speaking of a “false good idea”, he is worried that this will slow down investment and thus the realization of future transport lines.

“If we report this amount over the next 6 years, it is between 60 and 72 million euros less.

Either the equivalent of 4 kilometers of T6 tramway or the purchase of 120 electric buses ”, underlines Michel Le Faou, LREM member of Sytral.

“Our financial situation is healthy.

This gesture will not hamper our investment capacity ”, answers Béatrice Vessilier (EELV).

"With the health crisis, Sytral will lose 136 million euros in revenue in 2020. This is much more important than the amount of funding for free access for the most deprived", adds the president of Sytral and the metropolis Bruno Bernard which is also reassuring for the students, largely forgotten by this measure.

"We are going to offer something at the start of the September school year," he promises.

And to add that he plans to conduct a study on more comprehensive solidarity tariffs this time.

"It will take a few years but the objective is to go there gradually", he adds, recalling that for the first time, there will be no increase in prices in 2021, whether for tickets transport or subscriptions.

"Given the health crisis and the reduced supply during the weeks of confinement, it seemed fair to us to adopt such a measure", concludes Bruno Bernard.

Lyon

Lyon: How the Metropolis intends to drive out all polluting vehicles within five years

Municipal

Municipal in 2020 in Lyon: What new modes of public transport can we expect in Lyon?

• Sytral

• EELV

• Tcl

• Solidarity

• Precariousness

• Transport

• Public transport