Starting from 1 January 2021, the French city of Nantes is reducing the price of public transport subscriptions by 20%. The measure is part of the commitments made by Mayor Johanna Rolland upon her re-election to the position last year. The change was approved by the city council in July.
It has been justified on the grounds of environmental and economic reasons, as it is expected to have a noticeable impact on the purchasing power of local households, while stimulating them to opt for sustainable mobility alternatives.
Nantes and trams – a love story
The new subscription rates, valid from 1 January, concern unlimited packages, monthly tickets and the cap on tailor-made packages (for example, for a couple with children). For instance, the highest subscription rate for adults aged 26 to 59 will drop from 616 euros to 492,8 euros annually.
It is estimated that the total cost of the initiative in 2021 will be around 8.5 million euros. Public transport in Nantes is already quite attractive, as over 63 000 people benefit from reduced public transport fees, and over half of them travel for free.
However, the total cost of the operation will not come at the expense of quality, the authorities have assured. On the contrary, they have even planned further modernisations worth 218.9 million euros.
As part of it, the city will acquire 49 new tramways designed by Alstom. They will arrive in two stages – 14 in 2022 and another 35 in 2025 and will allow for up to 300 people more to board each train.
Tramways have a solid tradition in the French city of Nantes. It was the first city in France to reintroduce them in 1985. Back then, the trainsets of Alstom operated on line 1 and 46 of them can still be seen to this day. This is about to change soon, thanks to the planned investment in public transport.
Source: TheMayor.EU
