Paris (AFP)
RATP president Catherine Guillouard announced Friday that she aims to operate 70% of the Paris public transport network from May 11, up from 30% currently, in an interview with France Inter.
RATP aims "an objective of relighting 70% of the network's offer on average," said Ms. Guillouard, while the president of the Ile-de-France Region Valérie Pécresse had recently estimated that the recovery was not going enough quickly.
Catherine Guillouard recalled that the health and operational specifications for the resumption of public transport were expected in the coming days.
"Going for a company the size of the RATP (...) from 30% to 70%, having the scenario (recovery, editor's note) only in a few days for May 11, it's a feat" , she estimated, recalling that she had so far committed to a target of 50%. "It is really very intensive work done by the operator to get there."
The president of the Régie autonomous des transports parisiens recalled that RATP was itself affected by the Covid-19 epidemic. "Today we have 8,500 people who are either on sick leave or in childcare", against "12,000 two or three weeks ago" she noted, "it has decreased, we are recovering work".
Ms. Guillouard said that RATP currently carries 500,000 passengers a day, compared to 12 million in normal times, with 30% of the network in operation.
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