Something to delight the Ile-de-France residents. After having seen their transport conditions deteriorate briskly in recent months, they will have to prepare to absorb a further increase in the price of the Navigo Pass in 2024. This Tuesday morning, Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) announced the news in a wish adopted by its board of directors. If the exact price has not yet been fixed, it should be voted on next December by this same board of directors. This is not a surprise for Marc Pélissier, president of the Association of transport users (AUT).
“In the current context, it is certain that there will be an increase in transport prices, he believes. The question does not even place itself. It remains to be seen how much this increase will be established. “In the worst-case scenario, we could imagine an increase in the price to 100 euros per month from next year,” he continues. But we seem to be moving away from this scenario. But what is pushing the Region to increase the price of the Navigo Pass again?
The opening of several new lines
More and more holes in the budget of Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), next year. In 2024, the extensions of several lines, in particular lines 11 and 14 of the metro, or even the RER E, should finally be put into service. An additional service offering which results in increased costs for the Region. And, by extension, for users. Valérie Pécresse claims to need funding of 800 million euros for the coming year. It would be more than 500 million, according to AUT. Either way, this is a significant sum, on top of IDFM’s pre-existing debt.
The range of services should be all the more important next year as the capital hosts the Olympic Games, and the sixteen million visitors expected for the event. For the occasion, an exceptional service, much more important, is planned. Enough to skyrocket the expenses of IDFM. The president of the Île-de-France region nevertheless reaffirms “her concern to moderate the price increases for Ile-de-France residents as much as possible”, referring instead to specific pricing for visitors during the Olympics.
The absence of a long-term financing plan
“For the past five years, the prices of the Navigo Pass have been frozen but, before 2015, they were already increasing each year, explains the president of the AUT. In principle, it is not necessarily shocking when new lines are created and there is a better quality offer. What worries the representatives of the users’ association is that the increase in price exceeds inflation. “In fact, we would need a financing plan over several years to avoid that there is psychodrama between the State and the Region each year”, he continues. The latter denounces the lack of long-term financial visibility on a subject of public interest.
The government agrees to finance transport in the Ile-de-France region up to 52.5%, but wants the rest to be paid for by the communities and users. A position that does not satisfy François Durovray, president of the Essonne department and administrator of IDFM. For him, the government “wants to impose on local authorities the consequences of its mismanagement”. It “tightens the collar of communities but does not give tax revenue, it is not tenable”. The local elected official especially wishes to find a global agreement with the State and to avoid a “policy of scribbles” where “everything is done on a corner of the table”. There are six months left to achieve this.