Mastodawn

Robert Klaschka Mar 13

Almost 50 cities in France have already done away with paid tickets... "Nearly three million people in France can now use urban public transport without paying a fare. That number is likely to grow after the municipal elections... given the proliferation of proposals to make urban transport at least partially free."

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2026/03/12/french-cities-steady-march-toward-free-public-transport_6751388_19.html

French cities' steady march toward free public transport

Ahead of the municipal elections, candidates across the country have promised fare-free transport. Almost 50 cities have already done away with paid tickets, compared to just six before the 2000s.

Le Monde

Bilal Barakat 🍉Mar 13

Meanwhile, apparently* 9000 (!) people in Germany get jailed (!) every year for repeatedly riding without a ticket. Which common sense will tell you are mostly marginalised people who cannot afford one and are forced to take the risk.

*This number was mentioned by an NGO that pays their fines to free them. I have not fact-checked it myself.

EDIT: adding source

https://mas.to/@freiheitsfonds/116130749224316270

Freiheitsfonds (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 video Deutschlandweit gehen jedes Jahr 9000 Menschen ins Gefängnis wegen fehlender Tickets für Bus & Bahn. Die meisten Anträge, die uns erreichen, sind von JVA-Beamtinnen selbst. Das heißt, die wenden sich an uns & sagen: „Bitte kauft die Leute frei, die gehören hier nicht hin.“ Wann wird das verantwortliche Gesetz endlich abgeschafft?

mas.to

Ashwin Dixit Mar 13

@bifouba @GeofCox

When a crime is punishable by a fine, that means it applies only to the poor ( "FINE?!?!?!" 😭 ), not to the rich ( "Fine." 😏 💵 )

Gaëtan Perrault Mar 13

This is great to see. We definitely need to see more of this, though I think it needs a new name.

The article uses the term "free", but you are using the term "without paying a fare".

I like that framing better. It's not "free" transportation because it's still being paid for. But it's "fare-free" transportation as opposed to the other transportation methods that charge a fare.

I really think we need to move to the term "Fareless" or "Fare-free" because it actually sounds like a feature now. 😀

Henrik Sundström Mar 13

@gatesvp @GeofCox
In Sweden (Stockholm and Göteborg) there is a "free-fare"-fund called "Planka" (literally Gatecrash)

"Join the parking fund!
Planking is both a way to save money and a political act for free public transport.
If you are a member of the parking fund, we will pay your fines on public transport.
Becoming a member only costs 100:-/month in Stockholm and 100:-/month in Gothenburg (300 SEK the first month)."
More:
https://planka.nu

Planka.nu – För en avgiftsfri kollektivtrafik som styrs av de som reser och arbetar i den.

För en avgiftsfri kollektivtrafik som styrs av de som reser och arbetar i den.

Planka.nu

Janet Fraser Mar 13

@gatesvp @GeofCox Yes, exactly this. We need similar language surrounding other taxpayer funded public goods, too. Like healthcare - in Canada it's not 'free' it's crowdsourced through taxation.

Gaëtan Perrault Mar 13

@braxa26 @GeofCox 💯

I have heard some people use the term "free at the point of service", but not only is this not catchy, it isn't really accurate either. Drugs are not funded equally, dental care and mental healthcare are not all covered, disability support is so limited that people have to self-insure for glasses.

"Crowdsourced healthcare" is very cozy, but it feels a little more scattershot than it really is. I think "taxpayer funded healthcare" is probably a more accurate term. I don't know if it's catchy enough to replace "free healthcare".

I'm open to ideas here. I would definitely like a better term to just start using.

Janet Fraser Mar 14

@gatesvp @GeofCox
I used to use universal healthcare but it's not accurate, as you know. Now I usually say taxpayer funded even though it's clunky because I haven't heard or come up with anything more poetic.

@braxa26 @gatesvp @GeofCox

The german term ist fahrscheinlos, ticket free.

VelteropⓐⓊ🪂🇪🇺🇳🇱🇬🇧🇩🇪Mar 13

@GeofCox The way to go. Literally.

Light Owl ☸️Mar 13

@GeofCox Yay France! Awesome

@GeofCox I wish they did that here in greater Paris. Here they raised prices and made the carry-over of one ticket less effective. (On the other hand I’m used to Norway’s prices, so they still feel pretty cheap to me here)

Erik Sandblom 🌻Mar 13

@GeofCox Why don’t people walk or cycle instead? It is already free. The answer is that authorities don’t want to restrict the speed of motor traffic. Instead they make cyclists wear helmets and hi-viz vests.

You can research the safety issue if you like. The short version is that personal protective equipment is a dead end. It is a distraction from safe cycling infrastructure. As are many things…

https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F34169

Équipements obligatoires à vélo

Pour circuler à vélo, certains accessoires sont obligatoires et d'autres simplement recommandés : casque, gilet, phares, sonnette…

Remember though there are limitations to walking/cycling for many people - the elderly, disabled, poorly, small children, etc...

Erik Sandblom 🌻Mar 13

@GeofCox Agree. This goes both ways though. Bike paths are also used by disabled people on scooters. Not everyone can stand up in a turning bus in traffic. Can you travel unassisted in a wheelchair in TGV trains? A more important priority in my opinion.

Coralie Renée Mar 14

@eriksandblom @GeofCox

It is very dangerous unfortunately to ride a bike. The infrasyructure is car-friendly and definitely not bike-friendly... and/or walk-friendly

Erik Sandblom 🌻Mar 14

@globcoco @GeofCox This only confirms that the mayor must do more to make the streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists. Children must have safe routes to walk and cycle to school.

Great idea…

@GeofCox The best point is made at the very end of the article - "noting that the fact that most roads are free is never questioned."

Richard W. Woodley ELBOWS UP 🇨🇦🌹🚴‍♂️📷 🗺️Mar 13

North American standard reply of "we can't do that here, we're not a place that does good things for our people".

Paul Cowdell Mar 13

@the5thColumnist @GeofCox Although looks at Albuquerque...

Baessando ☭🇧🇷🇵🇸🇺🇳Mar 13

@GeofCox @kennergf Brazil is talking about free urban transportation nation wide

@pBaesse @GeofCox yes, please

ArchiveScribe Mar 13

@GeofCox This is exactly the type of progress we need in every major city in the U.S., everywhere in the world. How much better we would be as a civilization to get beyond and finally leave behind our car addiction.

Robin Barton Mar 13

@GeofCox But won't that hurt subsidies to Epstien-billionaires

Maddad ☑️Mar 13

That is so cool....

We will never ever see that in america,
If there is no profit, it won't be done.

Eveline Bernard 3d ago

@maddad @GeofCox ticket free public transport, safe bike lanes and foot paths: => profit all around for ordinary people.
But.. Less profit for capitalist enterprises

Giuseppe Carlino Mar 13

@GeofCox @Em0nM4stodon This is great. Here in Torino, no tickets just for university students (still paid tickets for high school students…).

I wonder if any cost-benefit analysis is available to support these actions.

Keith Williams Mar 13

@GeofCox I honestly don't know if that's the best policy. At least in the U.S. and Finland, token-fare-transit has had the best track record for sustainability and "public good returns"--not so much in Germany. I lived in Dusseldorf for 2 years. Perhaps the economics of French transit rail are different enough that it makes sense.

AppleWoi Mar 13

Ich glaub ich zieh doch wieder nach Frankreich.

No intelligent life in Germoney.

@GeofCox hey, liebe @mainz_de das wäre hier in unserer Stadt doch auch super, oder? Ich habe am letzten 0-Euro-Samstag mit Geschäftsleuten in der Mainzer Innenstadt gesprochen: da ist so viel mehr los als an anderen Samstagen. Prüft doch mal ob eine sukzessive Ausweitung auf alle Samstage möglich wäre... #Verkehrswende #mobilitat

madame poolhair Mar 13

@GeofCox I hope Germany wilk follow suite, only makes sense

BigHeadMode Mar 14

@GeofCox offboard payment, or no payment at all, improves boarding times (dwell times) which is a huge factor in transit speed. it doesn't just help the poor, it helps everyone by making transit faster and better. even if you drive a car, you want transit to be fast because more people will take it, leaving road space for you.

Michael ᚋᚔᚉᚆᚓᚐᚂ Mar 14

@GeofCox I’ve always wondered what the cost of fares collection is.

Systems, apps, account management, back office, ticket machines, readers, maintenance, inspectors, updates, fare negotiations teams, press releases, explanatory documents.

It’s quite a cost.

I'm in Chamonix at the moment, and I’m driving and cycling rather than using the bus because this is just too complicated for me.

@baoigheallain
Also (for our town anyway) it would be handy to have a mesh system rather than hub, it could improve access by reintroducing unprofitable routes.
@GeofCox

Felis_Catus_Domesticus 6d ago

Brilliant idea...