Additional revenue is needed to restore the balance of public transport finances in Ile-de-France, damaged by the health crisis, warns the Court of Auditors on Wednesday. It proposes to increase prices, including Navigo, to target motorists or to charge more local authorities.
If the State bailed out Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) in 2020 and 2021 – by providing it with 1.3 billion and 800 million euros respectively, in addition to an overpayment of 274 million repayable this year -, its contribution is is essentially made in the form of a repayable advance, which commits IDFM until 2036.
“The sustainability of IDFM’s debt beyond 2026 cannot be ensured without additional revenue,” writes the Court in its annual report, noting that attendance has not returned to pre-crisis levels and that operating expenses must increase with the opening of new infrastructures.
Increase of the Navigo pass according to income criteria
“Measures must therefore be taken, in terms of expenditure and revenue, to restore the financial balance of the economic model of public transport in the Ile-de-France region in the short term, then stabilize it in the medium and long term”, she judges.
The sages of rue Cambon find it difficult to postpone investments. To save money, they are calling for “an overall reduction in the offer” targeted according to attendance, “while preserving the quality of service”. “Transport operators must step up their productivity efforts”, they also claim, targeting the RATP and the SNCF.
On the revenue side, they advocate an increase in tariffs justified at least by “substantial extensions of the network, in progress and to come, and the correlative improvement in the quality of service”, by modulating “if necessary” the increase in the pass Navigo according to income criteria and targeting tourists.
Drivers involved
They also call for “increased participation of IDFM member communities” (the city of Paris, the departments and the region) and suggest “allowing IDFM to benefit from the valuation of part of the real estate added value that local authorities and businesses benefit from the commissioning of new line stations and stations”.
Ile-de-France motorists might also be put to use, the Court of Auditors citing an urban toll, a sticker or a fuel tax. At the very least, “attendance (of public transport) might be increased thanks to the amplification of measures (…) discouraging the use of the car”, she writes.
On the other hand, according to her, we cannot ask more of the companies which finance half of the public transport in Ile-de-France. “It is up to IDFM, in the exercise of a competence devolved to it, to explore the levers, both in revenue and in expenditure, to tend towards the financial balance of the Ile-de-France public transport system”, replies to the Court Prime Minister Jean Castex.
No increase “in the very short term” responds IDFM
Refusing any new tax, he rejects both the suggested increase in contributions from Ile-de-France motorists and a possible real estate contribution.
“It would be appropriate to offer Ile-de-France Mobilités new tax resources to finance the operation of current and future projects, in particular the Grand Paris Express, as the Prime Minister had undertaken to do in a letter of January 21, 2022”, writes the president of the Ile-de-France region and IDFM Valérie Pécresse (LR).
“This is the only way towards a sustainable and balanced transport financing model in the Ile-de-France region”, she adds, refusing an increase in contributions from local authorities.
As for the general manager of IDFM Laurent Probst, he rejects any increase in prices “in the very short term, as long as the level of public transport use (will not) be restored to its pre-crisis level”.
