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

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

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.

5 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. London has done this for years by SD+NFN+STM · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

    1. Re:London has done this for years by shilly · · Score: 4, Insightful

      London's a big, busy city. Every mode of transport is uncomfortable from time to time -- driving is a pain, cycling and walking gets you a faceful of fumes, etc. But it's London, and the upsides far outweigh these inconveniences for me and millions of others.

    2. Re: London has done this for years by Type44Q · · Score: 5, Funny

      Black snot?! Riding the "tube??" Get yourself checked... and next time have him wear a condom.

  2. Re:12- and 13-year-olds by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    That is their punishment for hitting puberty. It is a rite of passage. Much like a Bar Mitzvah or Confirmation.

  3. Re:12- and 13-year-olds by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bus Mitzvah?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20