GeofCoxMar 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
Show threadGaëtan PerraultMar 13

@GeofCox

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. 😀

Show threadJanet FraserMar 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.
Show threadKris

@braxa26 @gatesvp @GeofCox

The german term ist fahrscheinlos, ticket free.

Mar 13 at 9:23pmWeb