Although it was stated that public transport would be free when purchasing tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the French capital cannot keep this promise. Due to budgetary reasons, public transport will not be free for ticket holders during the matches. On the contrary, the price will even double for some spectators.
“All ticket holders can travel for free on the day of the relevant competition on the entire Île-de-France network,” it said when purchasing a ticket for competitions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This promise will not be fulfilled because not only will ticket holders not be entitled to special arrangements, the price for a single ticket for the Paris metro will almost double in the summer of 2024 during the Olympic and Paralympic Games that the French capital is organizing.
A metro ticket will therefore cost 4 euros (compared to the current price of 2.10 euros) and a card with multiple trips will cost 32 euros, while you currently pay 16.90 euros for it. You will pay this rate if you do not have a ticket for a match.
If you are a ticket holder, France offers a special rate in the period from July 20 to September 18. Traveling by public transport will cost you 16 euros per day, with a sliding scale depending on the number of days or you can immediately take out a weekly subscription for 70 euros.
Valérie Pécresse, president of the region and of Île-de-France mobilités (IDFM) announced these awards via X, formerly Twitter. “It’s the right price. I have promised that the people of Île-de-France will not pay the price for extra transport. It is the visitors who will pay,” she told French channel BMFTV.
The expected influx of spectators, estimated at least 10 million, will require the French Railway Company (SNCF) and the Paris Public Transport (RATP) to expand their transport services on the Île-de-France network by increasing the train offer and its frequency . “The new rates will have to cover the 200 million euros in additional expenses,” said Pécresse.
No change for subscribers
“The region determines the rates and has ensured that there will be no change for subscribers, which is very important,” said Transport Minister Clément Beaune. The French government has agreed to make additional resources available (500 million euros by 2024) to ensure that the additional public transport for Paris 2024 is not, or only to a very limited extent, borne by residents. “Without this agreement, the rate would have exploded,” the minister said.
Earlier this month it also came to light that the price for overnight accommodation in the region could skyrocket during the Games. The average price for a hotel stay in the Île-de-France region increases from 169 to 699 euros, an increase of no less than 314 percent.
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