Illustration of an Ilévia bus from the Lille Metropolis.

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G. Durand / 20 Minutes

  • Since the end of October, the majority of students no longer attend face-to-face classes in universities.

  • Faced with this situation, some are asking Ilevia, manager of the Lille metropolitan area's transport network, to reimburse their subscription.

  • Faced with ilévia's refusal, it is ultimately the metropolis that will accede to the students' request.

It is true, Lille students will no longer need to be dead or to move to obtain reimbursement of their public transport subscriptions.

What the public service delegatee, ilévia, refuses to do will therefore ultimately be taken over by the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL).

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the academic year for Lille students was largely disrupted, interspersed with periods during which face-to-face classes were simply canceled.

However, many still pay for subscriptions to the ilévia network which have become, in fact, unnecessary.

Tired of paying for nothing, students, sometimes in a precarious financial situation, had requested reimbursement from the carrier Ilévia.

The latter had refused, explaining that he would not reimburse anyone since "the public transport offer on the ilévia network is maintained at its highest level".

"We must show solidarity with the students"

So it was its principal, the MEL, who set foot in it: "We must show solidarity with the students who are in many ways impacted by the health crisis we are going through" declared the president of the metropolis, Damien Castelain.

He announced this Friday that he was going to “grant reimbursement of Ilévia subscriptions to students whose courses were organized remotely.

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A possible reimbursement applies to Ilévia subscriptions over 10 months, annual and permanent, “not used over the period from November 2020 to March 2021”.

The MEL also ensures that these same subscriptions can be suspended until August 31 for students whose courses will continue at a distance.

This exceptional measure, we do not yet know who will finance it.

Is it the transporter who will have to return the money collected or is it the MEL which will take from its budget to help students.

Asked about this subject by 20 Minutes, the MEL has not yet responded.

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  • Transport

  • Coronavirus

  • Student

  • Lille