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Montpellier now has free public transport. Here's how to get a pass (www.euronews.com)
submitted 10 months ago by Mannivu@feddit.it to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
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[-] Atemu@lemmy.ml 27 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Montpellier residents can sign up for a free transport pass on the M’Ticket app and the TAM website. Photo ID and proof of address are required.

If fares were such an insignificant source of income before when residents had to pay, why bother ticketing at all when the only fare payers left would be an extreme minority that also happen to be your guests?
So much money spent on ticketing systems, apps, registration and other overhead that nobody needs and could be spent on improving the service instead if it was simply free for everyone. I highly doubt doing that makes any sort of profit. I don't get it.

[-] Manapany@jlai.lu 22 points 10 months ago

I agree with your reasoning. But Montpellier is a quite a tourist place especially during summer. Maybe it still make profit with them it is not a smal minority.

[-] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I am not sure tourists in Montpellier are such a rarity.

Estimated population is about 480 000.

I could not find great sources for how much tourism they get, but this page gives a number for conference attendants like 10 years ago and that was 1 200 000 per year (https://www.invest-in-montpellier.com/en/tourism-strategic-sector-montpellier-metropole)

Of course they don't stay all year but these are all people not paying their taxes there and it makes sense to still ticket them.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca 4 points 10 months ago

It doesn't make sense if the ticketing revenue is less than the expense of administering a ticketing system, plus issuing passes to all residents.

That's before you consider those visitors are being encouraged to drive instead of taking transit which costs the taxpayers more!

[-] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The visitors are encouraged to drive? You sure about that? I mean in most bigger European cities tourists will use public transport. Its not at all convenient to rent a car just for driving within city limits.

Also, you talk about the cost of the ticketing system as if they had to remake it from scratch, they just need to maintain the current one.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca -2 points 10 months ago

The visitors are encouraged to drive? You sure about that? I mean in most bigger European cities tourists will use public transport. Its not at all convenient to rent a car just for driving within city limits.

If you're not incentivizing them to take transit, you're encouraging them to drive.

Also, you talk about the cost of the ticketing system as if they had to remake it from scratch, they just need to maintain the current one.

Which is not an insignificant expense. Fair gates need to be maintained, residential status verified, etc.

[-] RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

If you're not incentivizing them to take transit, you're encouraging them to drive.

Ok, I don't think you have ever been to big European cities, this is not how people have their priorities cut out when visiting. But I can see that discussing this further leads nowhere, since you don't believe me and I don't believe you.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Thanks for your civility. My whole premise is predicated on questions neither of us can answer. You're quite right that I've never been to Europe (only England and Wales as an infant), but I feel my studies of urbanism and transit provide some insight. Thanks for the pleasant chat.

[-] Jomn@jlai.lu 5 points 10 months ago

Honestly, the only tourists that will really use a car are from «close» cities such Marseille or Toulouse. And they will choose the car because the Intercités train service is garbage, which has nothing to do with Montpellier's public transports.

[-] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 10 months ago

I don't know about France, but the Netherlands requires that everyone register with their local town council, so determining residency here would be a simple matter of showing your ID (which is also required). So that at least should be no extra cost.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Sure, but even that's not cost free as you either have staff/equipment verifying IDs to allow entry to platforms. In the case of roadside stops, you're increasing dwell time to verify IDs, which extends the route time, which means more drivers and vehicles to provide the same service level

[-] iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 10 months ago

I think that you misunderstood the requirement. You go to town hall and they give you a transit pass; the same pass they use now. There is nobody checking ID on the transport itself.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Then it's a cost to issue transit passes and check them...

[-] FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 4 points 10 months ago

It would be easier to make public transport free and add more to the tourist taxes paid by hotels

this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2023
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