Paris Will Make Public Transportation Free for Kids (citylab.com)

In a plan to help families and reduce car usage, anyone under 11 years old will be able to ride metro and buses for free, as will people with disabilities under 20. From a report: Starting in September, Paris is making all public transit free for people under 11, including non-nationals. Preteens aren't the only ones getting a bonus, either. All people with disabilities will get free public transit until the age of 20, while high school students between the ages of 14 and 18 will be entitled to a 50 percent tariff reduction. To make transit access for this group even easier, any 14- to 18-year-olds who buy a travel pass will also get a free bikeshare account as well.

The plans, which apply across the Greater Paris region and cost an estimated $17 million a year, are part of a staggered plan to make things cheaper for people with mobility challenges. Already last spring, the region introduced a (means-tested) scheme by which adults with disabilities and all people over 65 got a free annual travel pass if they were on a low-to-medium income. This new plan to extend cheap or no fares toward younger people should make the public transit system more widely accessible and prove to be a happy cost-saver for families.

Comments

London has done this for years

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Glad to see other cities catching up, as enabling use of public transit is one of the best ways to reduce traffic, pollution, etc

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-...

Under 5 - Free with a paying adult
5 to 10 - Free with a paying adult, or on their own by using a free Oyster card
11 to 15 - Free when using a free Oyster card
16 to 17 - Free when using a free Oyster card... but only if you LIVE in London.

Re:London has done this for years

[phayes]

The fastest way from A to B in Paris is not using public transport in Paris but is on two wheels which how I'm usually doing it almost year round: On a bicycle (public shared bikes or my own depending) for shorter trips and on my motorcycle for longer trips like to/from work which is usually on the other side of Paris from where I live. Except for special cases like A & B being on the same Metro line and close to the Metro exits, two wheels will be faster almost all the time (often 1/2 the time) and if A or B are outside Paris & you need to take a bus and or then walk for a while, 1/3 of the time. Now to be able to be so much faster than the Metro, buses or cars you will be lane splitting but that's allowed here and if done prudently & with experience is not dangereous.

Scooter (Mopeds for people in the US) sales in & around Paris have been skyrocketing for over a decade -- and not just 125cc models people can drive with their car drivers licenses or the 50cc models that you don't need a license for, more people pass the motorcycle license now intending to use a scooter than a motorcycle. Three wheeled scooters (look at Piaggio's main French web page: https://www.piaggio.com/fr_FR/) reassure those who are afraid of being unstable and (other than being more expensive) have pretty much the same advantages as two wheels.

Re:London has done this for years

[jellomizer]

Even not being a Helicopter parent. A child under 4 is still mastering skills such as no going poop in their pants (they may be potty trained, but accidents still happen a lot), being able to walk steadily, and have enough discipline to avoid danger even if there is something shiny in the middle of it.
That is why Kindergarten normally starts after the age of 4 years (normally at the age of 5). While some kids 3 and 4 may be mature enough to handle being alone, that wouldn't be anywhere near a good rule of thumb to follow.

Washington D.C. has done this for years

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If you are in school and a D.C. resident (21 and under) you get a free Metro pass. I'm glad to see European cities finally catching up.

Same for Vienna since the 70ies

[Confused]

Same for Vienna. There pre-school children are always free and all school-children (up to 15, also later if you still go to school) get al free transportation card.

This isn't new and a really, really good thing. Good for Paris to catch up.