The way in which costs are passed on to public transport users remains a point of discussion.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris bring more than just sporting excitement. A recent announcement by Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) about a new public transport fare system designed specifically for the Games has caused a stir. This adjustment goes against the previously promised free transport options during the Olympic Games, which has led to much discussion.
IDFM has presented the new 'Paris 2024' pass, which will be accessible from July 20 to September 8, aimed at facilitating the tourist experience and limiting queues. Laurent Probst, Managing Director of IDFM, emphasizes that this pass is aimed at improving the provision of information to passengers and the management of passenger flows. With rates ranging from 16 euros for one day to 70 euros for a week, this pass is significantly more expensive than the current weekly rates.
This new fare policy, which is being introduced especially for the Olympic Games, raises questions about the accessibility and affordability of transport for both tourists and local residents.
“This Paris 2024 pass has been designed to simplify the tourist experience as much as possible, but also to reduce queues and allow ticket agents to focus on providing information to passengers and managing passenger flow.”
This fare increase is part of a larger plan in which IDFM is investing 200 million euros to increase metro and train services by 15% during the Olympic Games. This plan is aimed at accommodating the expected 10 million tourists. Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France regional council, has stressed the importance of setting “the right price”, where local residents will not bear the burden of these increases. Subscribers with a monthly or annual subscription from Navigo, an Imaginaire R pass or a senior pass are not affected by these increases.
"There is no question of Francilians paying these costs. Subscribers with a monthly or annual Navigo subscription, an Imaginaire R pass or a senior pass will not be affected by these increases."
The announcement comes amid dissatisfaction among Parisians over the recent increase in the Navigo pass, which will increase from €2024 to €86,10 per month in January 86,40, an increase attributed to the 2% inflation rate. All this points to a growing concern among citizens about the increasing costs associated with the 2024 Olympic Games.
