Free transport: the Montpellier Metropolis responds to the Canard Enchaîné

Le 21 décembre, c'était la fête à Montpellier pour la gratuité des transports en commun. ML – Jean-Michel Mart

L’article mentionnait le départ du directeur du pôle mobilités de la Métropole, le 21 décembre. Cela ne signifiait pas son opposition à la gratuité des transports, souligne-ton du côté de la collectivité.

“Free transport : Montpellier pays for its tour”. The title appeared at the head of the page of the latest edition of Le Canard Enchaîné. The article, subtitled “Invoice: more than 40 million to the detriment of infrastructure”, endeavored to quantify the cost of free public transport in the Montpellier Metropolis, effective since December 21.

"The additional cost for Montpellier's finances had been estimated at 24 M€ during the 2020 campaign by (Michaël) Delafosse", mayor and president of the Metropolis, before being revised upwards (30 M€), before the regional chamber of accounts sets the bill at 42 M€.

The article in the satirical weekly recalled that "four directors took over at the head of the transport operator, Tam". And that, the only new information, "the director of the “mobility center” de la Métropole left his post and organized a farewell breakfast on the day the measure was implemented, December 21.

"A long-known choice"

"Yannick Jacob has made it a point of honor to see the project of free public transport through to its conclusion, we specify in the’ entourage of the president of the Metropolis. He did everything to stay with the teams until December 21, and actually spent the day on the field. His choice to leave the community for a professional and family project in an Asian country had been known for a long time."

As for the Metropolis, we recall that Le Canard was one of the many media to look into free access in Montpellier. More than 300 impacts were recorded in three days. A beautiful ad… free!

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