The RATP published Friday a net profit down 35% for 2019, to 131 million euros, the strike against the pension reform in December having had a negative impact of 150 million. Group turnover was up 2.5% to 5.704 billion euros, 76% of which was generated by the public industrial and commercial establishment (Epic) which operates the traditional activities of transport in Île-de-France, and the rest through its subsidiaries. Operating profit, for its part, fell by 29% to 319 million euros.
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"Overall, the group's results held up well in 2019," said group CEO Catherine Guillouard, quoted in a press release. The strike in December “should not make us forget the good results recorded in the previous months, which reflect both the dynamism of public transport activity in France and in the world, and the effects of the performance plans carried out by Epic RATP and the subsidiaries to improve their competitiveness ”.
Management also estimates that, without the strike, turnover would have increased by 5.9%, operating profit by 4% and net profit by 40%. Epic's turnover was stable at 4.354 billion euros, the impact of the December strike (186 million) having wiped out the gains of previous months.
"In Île-de-France, the underlying trend remains dynamic, driven by an economic context and by public policies favorable to the development of public transport," noted the RATP. Without the strike, traffic would have increased by 2.6% last year (1.6% in the metro, 3.7% in the RER, 0.5% in the bus and 12, 6% in trams), she calculated. With, it fell 1.9% to 3.389 billion travelers. As for the subsidiaries, their contribution to turnover increased by 11.5% to 1.35 billion euros.
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Outside the capital region, the main RATP Dev subsidiary has in particular gained the urban transport networks of Angers, Brest, Creil and Saint-Malo and has launched a second line in Casablanca, Morocco. 2019 was also marked by a ramp-up in the Middle East, with the opening of the Doha metro in Qatar, in tandem with Keolis (SNCF group).
The RATP does not make forecasts for 2020, noting that the second part of the strike in January will weigh up to 40 million euros on the net result.
