“This contract is a small revolution, rejoices Valérie Pécresse, president of Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the authority which organizes transport in Ile-de-France.
Customer service will finally be at the heart of the relationship.
But at the cost of a year of delay.
After a long standoff, Transilien - the branch of the SNCF responsible for running trains in Ile-de-France - and IDFM, will finally sign, on December 9, the contract that will bind them for four years.
This big block of 224 pages without appendices is essential.
First, because it is one of the most important for SNCF (more than 12 billion euros).
But also because it defines the levels of punctuality and quality of service that the operator undertakes to respect, at the risk of paying penalties.
In return, IDFM will pay it more than 3 billion euros each year, between 2020 and 2023. But what does it change for the 3.4 million daily travelers in the Paris region?
Bonus-malus, multiplied by four
Bonuses / penalties go from 23 million euros to 100 million euros, to motivate the operator.
Every year, different indicators, such as punctuality, cleanliness, safety, etc., will be assessed.
If SNCF reaches the thresholds required by the contract, IDFM pays it bonuses.
Conversely, Transilien may pay up to 100 million euros in penalties.
Customer sentiment taken more into account
To calculate these bonuses / penalties, IDFM will of course take punctuality into account.
But not only.
The “passenger perception” surveys - these questionnaires carried out regularly on the docks and hitherto little taken into account - will weigh more heavily in the annual assessment.
"We have also strongly reinforced quality of service criteria, such as cleanliness, security and passenger information," continues the president of Ile-de-France Mobilités.
This is a very good thing at the time of competition (
Editor's note: the Transilien lines may be open to other operators from 2023
).
Transilien's transformation towards customer service is essential to enable it to win future calls for tenders.
When you are in a monopoly situation, you can take the customer over the leg.
"
Quality of service calculated by branches and no longer by lines
Until now, the level of punctuality was calculated on average per semester on the whole line.
But this system hid disparities.
For example, on the RER A, we reached 93% overall.
Except on the branch towards Cergy, which does not exceed 86%.
Below the objectives.
“In the present contract, we are a bonus.
In the future contract, there will be a penalty for the Cergy branch, continues Valérie Pécresse.
Thus, assessing the quality of service by branch will be much more precise and better reflect customer requirements, their feelings and their experiences.
"
Finally, automatic refunds in the event of a late train!
It was a request from the associations.
From now on, refunds to the Navigo card will be automatic in the event of an “unacceptable situation” on a line.
Namely, if punctuality is less than 80% for 3 to 5 months on a branch - including in the event of a strike - its users will be automatically reimbursed for half a month of Navigo.
If the bad numbers last for 6 to 9 months, it will be the equivalent of a full month.
And beyond 9 months, a month and a half of the Navigo card reimbursed.
“For example, users of the La Ferté-Milon (Aisne) branch of line R or line P would have been entitled to one month's reimbursement in 2019,” explains Valérie Pécresse.
Finally, in the event of a strike, IDFM will also be compensated.
Three billion euros in more investments
In return for these new requirements, IDFM is putting € 7 billion on the table - instead of € 4 billion - for Transilien's investments.
"It's huge, we multiply the amount by two," says Valérie Pécresse.
They can be used for the renewal of rolling stock, the regeneration of lines, the creation of new maintenance workshops, the modernization of ticketing, security, etc.
Transilien says it wants to "aim for excellence"
For its part, Transilien simply wishes to specify that "from the technicenter agent who ensures the safety of the equipment, to the passenger information officer who provides up-to-the-minute information, all exercise their profession while thinking of the service they provide to travelers ".
The company adds that it has made "a lot of progress in recent years in terms of punctuality and passenger information".
But it recognizes that it wants and must "do better" and that "with this new contract, Transilien aims for excellence, and IDFM gives us the means to achieve it".
