One month of free public transport in Germany or five journeys in Lille
One month of free public transport in Germany or five journeys in Lille
> As announced, Ilevia has increased the price of tickets to €1.80 per journey on August 1st.
> Germany sold 21 million €9 tickets for free use of public transport and regional trains to combat inflation.
> Volt Lille has already proposed in the municipal elections to make public transport in the MEL area free of charge.
Lille, 2nd of August 2022
In the middle of summer and after the citizens of Lille went on holiday, Ilevia increased the price for a trip in the city to €1.80. Since 2009, prices have been rising steadily, from €1.25 to €1.80, even surpassing current inflation. While many French cities are trying to make public transport free, the metropolis has spent considerable sums on security gantries and rebranding, while residents are still waiting for the metro lines to double.
Inflation, especially due to rising fossil fuel prices, is reaching unprecedented levels even before winter arrives, a reason for several countries in Europe to advance the transition to more sustainable means of transport. Germany has introduced a €9 ticket for the use of all public transport and regional trains for 30 days for three months. In the first month, 21 million tickets were sold, road traffic decreased considerably and the measure also helped to reduce inflation month-on-month basis. Spain is following suit, even with a less dense network, to also lower the cost of travel and promote more sustainable transport.
Sven Franck, responsible for Volt Lille: "It is regrettable that Ilévia is not moving forward to propose alternatives to car use in the area. The whole of Europe needs to evaluate its energy consumption, either to stabilise purchasing power or to prepare for the winter. It is therefore a pity that Ilévia and the Metropolis are aggravating the situation by increasing the prices for public transport.
As during the municipal elections, Volt Lille still is pushing for free public transport for the inhabitants of the MEL by proposing the reimbursement of the remaining 50% of the monthly subscriptions not covered by the compulsory payment of public transport costs by the employer. Applicable to anyone registered on the electoral list of Lille or other communes participating, in this way our infrastructures (such as the aforementioned gantries) are not rendered useless, there is an incentive to register on the electoral list and switch to monthly passes, while visitors would continue to pay the usual fares.
About Volt
As the first truly pan-European party, Volt is committed to reforming the European Union so that global challenges can be solved in a pan-European way. A federal, functioning European republic must be the basis. Volt's vision: a progressive Europe with an inclusive society, a climate-friendly economy, an adaptable education system and self-determined digitalisation.
Volt is convinced that only through the democratic participation of all European citizens can Europe prepare for a sustainable, economically strong and socially just future. This is why Volt acts at all levels - from local to European, as a movement and as a party. The movement gives all European citizens a voice and the opportunity to engage politically from within society. Today, Volt is present all over Europe: Thousands of people of all ages and professions are engaged in 30 European countries with teams in hundreds of cities.
For interview requests or further information, please contact us at the following address
Contact
Eric Galéra - Responsible for the Hauts-de-France region
Mail : eric.galera@volteuropa.org
Sven Franck - Responsible for Lille
Mail : sven.franck@volteuropa.org
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Photo by Mohamed SY on Wikimedia, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence