Le Figaro Nantes
It will now cost €1.80 instead of €1.70 to buy a tram or bus ticket in the Nantes conurbation.
And €2.50 instead of €2 for a breakdown ticket sold on board.
After Paris, Nice or even Bordeaux, it is the turn of the city of the Dukes to announce an increase in public transport prices from July 1.
The reason: rising energy prices.
“
In 2022, we had a significant increase in energy costs with 5.8 million additional energy costs.
And for 2023, we expect to have 20 million euros in additional energy costs as well as 4 million in additional payroll at Semitan,
” said Bertrand Affilé, vice-president of Nantes Métropole in charge of mobility and travel strategies. , during the metropolitan council meeting on Friday 7 April.
In the future price list, the unlimited formula will cost €525 per year instead of €500, the Customized formula €1.60 per passage instead of €1.52, the monthly ticket €60 per month and no longer €57. , the 10-ticket booklet €17 instead of €16, and the Airport Shuttle ticket will increase by €1 to €10.
"
We tried to significantly benefit the most intense payment titles
", details the elected official, defending a 4% increase, lower than the current 6% inflation.
“
If we had wanted to fully pass on the increase in production costs to the tariff paid by users, we would have had to increase
the tariffs by 48%
.
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A controversial increase
If this deliberation was adopted and defended by the left majority, it was not unanimous.
The Communists voted for it.
The centre-right group Mieux Vivre à Nantes, for its part, expressed its reluctance: “
we will obviously vote against this deliberation.
Not because, in principle, we would be opposed to the increase in tariffs.
Because we consider that we must increase the offer and that we must give ourselves the financial means to be able to increase it
, ”reacted elected representative Julien Bainvel, sharing his personal experience of overloaded buses.
"
We believe that before wanting to increase the number of users by choosing free access on weekends, you should have devoted yourself to improving the daily lives of users.
“, For his part castigated the opposition councilor Sébastien Arrouët, of the Avenir Métropolitain group (various right).
“It's a dirty blow to purchasing power. All this is the result of your policy of free transport on weekends. [...] We will vote against”,
also announced the metropolitan councilor Matthieu Annereau (Renaissance).
After being surprised by the many reactions, Bertrand Affilé recalled that in 2020, the annual subscription was €616, which is more expensive than today.
Pascal Bolo, vice-president of Nantes Métropole and president of Semitan, was also moved by the criticisms received: "
I don't understand how you can make our public transport network, which is cited as an example everywhere in France, a such description
.
At the end of the sequence, the PS mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, addressed a spade to her opponents by suggesting that in the future, "
those who speak out against our choice of free public transport, tell those who follow our debates, if by chance they were in charge tomorrow, if they would come back to what constitutes for our fellow citizens a absolutely momentous and historic step forward
”.
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Other adjustments on the network
Changes have also been announced concerning the transport offer from September with more buses on lines 85 (Carquefou) and C2 (Nantes).
In Rezé, the route of line 33 will be modified due to the passage of a one-way street.
In Nantes, a new bus lane on Boulevard du Général Koenig will simplify routes to 81 and E1.
In La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, modifications are to be expected on the routes 86 and 96. An experiment of a service of line 93 on the Hauts de Couëron will also be carried out.
In Sautron, service from 69 will end slightly earlier.
Finally, concerning the Airport shuttle, it will now run every 20 minutes between April and October and every 30 minutes between November and March.