"It's a revolution," Valérie Pécresse said on Wednesday, September 18, as she announced the launch, next year, of a unique transport ticket for the entire Paris region. The region's president (from the right-wing Les Républicains party) was not alone in her conviction. Commuter associations and her opponents on the left recognized this step as an ambitious decision and were happily surprised by it, as it completed the work begun by her Socialist predecessor, Jean-Paul Huchon, who had initiated the de-zoning of the Navigo travel card. The new plan eliminates the need for more expensive passes for suburban residents and the purchase of an additional, more expensive ticket for Parisians wishing to travel out of the capital.
Crossing political lines, the region's president even described the 2012 decision as "visionary," though she had originally opposed it due to lack of funding. Now, in defense of environmental sustainability, fairness and simplicity, she is fully committed to continuing this initiative by also de-zoning ticket prices.
From January 2, 2025, all journeys by metro, RER regional train or train, purchased individually, will cost €2.50, regardless of distance, and those by bus or tram will cost €2 (with an additional 50 cents if the ticket is purchased on board). The "origin-destination" tickets outside Paris will be eliminated, thus ending "fare traps." Currently, different prices apply for suburban travel by metro or RER (often more expensive), leading to potential fines. "There are over 50,000 different fares in the region," said the authority that controls Greater Paris's transport companies, calling the system overly complicated.
On the face of it, this one-price ticket is good news for suburban commuters, who often pay €5 or more for their journey when switching from the RER or metro to a bus or tram, or when transferring between SNCF and RATP-operated RER lines. For Parisians, however, it's a different story. They currently pay €2.15 for a metro ticket, or even €1.735 if they buy a book of 10 tickets, much cheaper than the future single fare of €2.50. Along with the simplification of fares, a "ticketing revolution" will take place that will put an end to ticket books on January 2, 2025, and to magnetic paper tickets at the end of 2025.
Instead, Greater Paris residents will have a choice of two subscriptions. The Navigo pass at €86.40 per month (fixed price including most journeys) or the Navigo Liberté + pass, for occasional travelers or remote workers. Liberté + allows you to travel as much as you like, and pay for your journeys on the 15th of the following month. This card was previously only available for Paris and a few cities served by the metro. On January 2, this pass will be available for everyone. It comes with three advantages: a ticket price reduced to €1.99, a daily spending cap of €12 (the price of the daily pass) and free metro-bus, metro-tram or RER-bus, RER-tram transfers, eliminating the need for extra tickets.
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