In France, around twenty groups spread across the country have joined
forces within the Union for Free and Developed Public Transport. Thesegroups are made up of trade unions, political organizations, and
associations (in Grenoble, the UCL participates along with ATTAC,
Handi-moi tout, the CGT, the FSU, Solidaires, Ensemble!, Génération·s,
LFI, NPA l'Anticapitaliste, and PCF), and, more rarely, individuals. The
stakes are high: environmental, health-related, and social
justice-related. Transport is the leading source of greenhouse gas
emissions in France. Their share of greenhouse gas emissions has
steadily increased over the past ten years, reaching 34% in 2023, with
53% of that coming from passenger cars (22% from heavy goods vehicles
and 15% from light commercial vehicles). They are also responsible for
significant pollution through fine and ultrafine particles; 28% of the
microplastic particles released into the oceans each year are estimated
to come from tires, making them the second largest source after washing
synthetic textiles. Public Health France explains that this has
short-term health consequences, as exposure to pollutants can worsen
chronic respiratory conditions (asthma, bronchitis, etc.) and expose the
most vulnerable to premature death. Long-term consequences are also
significant: even at low concentration levels, exposure over several
years can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory
diseases and lung cancer, impacting life expectancy and mortality.
In addition to these impacts, significant social inequalities exist: for
low-income households or residents of suburban areas, the cost and
accessibility of transportation determine access to employment,
healthcare, and leisure activities. In a society where cities are
compartmentalized-commercial zones, commuter towns, city centers, rural
areas-mobility has become a key issue for social cohesion. Free public
transportation would help combat spatial segregation, often linked to
social and racial divisions. It is therefore not merely a technical
measure but a societal choice, enshrining mobility as a fundamental
right and a common good.
Contrary to popular belief, free public transportation is not a utopian
ideal. It has already been successfully implemented in several French
cities. By 2025, 2.6 million people will live in areas with free public
transport, and this number will reach 3.3 million by 2026. This
corresponds to 47 completely free public transport networks, including 8
urban areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants (Montpellier, Calais,
Douai, Dunkirk, Niort, Bourges, Arcueil, and Aubagne) and 13
municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.
It should be noted that the portion paid by users represents on average
less than 20% of the public transport operating budget, with the
employer mobility tax financing the majority. By increasing the mobility
tax to 3% of payroll, as is already the case in the Île-de-France
region, free public transport could be made universal.
Astragrat is an association that campaigns for free public transport in
the Strasbourg Eurometropolis.
Photo: Rouge/Alexandre
However, for free public transport to be effective, it often requires
investment to increase the network's frequency and size. While free
public transport has a cost related to network expansion, road traffic
also has a hidden cost with considerable repercussions. In a study
published in 2015, the Senate estimated the health, social, and economic
costs of air pollution at between 68 and 97 billion euros per year.
According to the French National Interministerial Road Safety
Observatory, road accidents represented an annual cost of approximately
52.8 billion euros in 2023. Added to this are the costs of traffic
congestion and road maintenance, which would be reduced with less traffic.
As for the techno-solutions advocated by our industries and governments
through the widespread use of electric or hydrogen vehicles, even
assuming they are not an ecological aberration (massive extraction of
raw materials, battery manufacturing and recycling, production of new
vehicles with the early replacement of still-functional internal
combustion engine cars), these technologies would not solve the problems
of traffic congestion, the expansion of roads and highways which
contributes to soil sealing, nor fine particulate pollution (from tires
and brakes). Nor do they address the challenges of social justice. It is
worth remembering that soil sealing has several consequences. It is
worth remembering that soil sealing has several consequences: it
contributes to global warming, because the more soil is sealed, the less
it is able to absorb CO2, and it exacerbates the urban heat island
effect; it leads to soil sealing, which increases runoff and the risk of
flooding; it reduces the agronomic potential of soils and accelerates
biodiversity loss by destroying the natural habitats of species.
On February 29, 2020, Luxembourg became the first country to offer free
public transportation throughout its territory.
Wikimedia/GilPe
Free public transportation is a lever for breaking with the
commodification of the world and reaffirming the importance of the
commons. To broaden this discussion, we could consider free access to
all basic social needs: water, energy, healthcare, education, etc. Those
best suited to determine these needs remain the people, through a
genuine democracy and an internationalist vision, and not a
representative democracy that favors the interests of the dominant
class. This conquest is not in itself a revolution, but a concrete
social and ecological victory. It allows us to build a cultural
counter-hegemony, to modify consumption patterns, and to question the
organization of production. It immediately improves living conditions
while keeping in mind our societal project: a complete transformation
towards a libertarian communist society.
Red Coal and Léo (UCL Grenoble)
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Mobilites-collectives-La-gratuite-des-transports-publics-un-choix-de-societe
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