The Nice communists launch a campaign for free public transport.

At this moment of confusion and great upheaval, can you miss the voice of the communists?

Purchasing power? Pollution? “Opposing the social question to that of the environment leads nowhere. Both are part of the same urgency” – says Robert Injey – member of the departmental leadership of the PCF 06 – “If inequalities have continued to grow for decades, air pollution costs France nearly 100 billion euros each year and is the cause of tens of thousands of deaths in our country.”

Conclusion of this analysis? For the communist leader, “It is not a question of heavily taxing those who, for the majority, have no choice, but rather of offering an alternative to cars and thus to fossil fuels. Today, combined with the housing crisis and growing insecurity, the cost of transport (cars, but also public transport) are often factors of exclusion for the population (inhabitants of suburban districts, unemployed, students, retirees…).

Faced with this situation and the urgency to change the paradigm, the PCF and the JC issue the slogan “free transport is possible”.

110 networks worldwide, including 37 in France and 40 in the USA, have chosen to offer free transport.

The result is a sharp increase in ridership. In Aubagne +70%, in Châteauroux +80%, in Dunkerque, it’s +40%.

Changing the paradigm is above all cultural

Free transport addresses questions of sustainable development and reintroduces the concepts of equality and solidarity into the right to transportation.

Free transport represents an investment

Reducing car traffic means less pollution, improved health, better quality of life, greater attractiveness of the region, especially in city centers where businesses are declining, and millions of hours saved from traffic jams.

What investments are necessary?

In the Metropolis area, free bus and tram represents an investment of 50 million euros per year*.

For financing, possibilities exist, for example:

• The transport tax paid by companies, which should be revalued. Its rate is 2% in Nice, for instance, while it is 2.95% in Paris.

– The tourist tax paid for each hotel night, which is, for example, currently 3 euros per person for a room priced at 600 euros at the Negresco. And to show the potential, 150,000 beds in the department, 46% of which are in 4 and 5-star hotels, 70 million overnight stays…

• Savings on operating costs (staff dedicated to ticketing and control, investment in equipment and material).

The fundamental question remains, why, if this proposal aligns with the spirit of the times and is well justified, is it not yet considered? Is it just a question of political positioning?

For Robert Injey, “It’s mainly due to a psychological block (the right does not like the principle of free services) and cultural (if you give rights to people, you stop exerting direct or indirect conditioning towards them).”

The proposal is clear and goes well beyond just improving purchasing power. It would change the hierarchy of values in daily life and impact the organization and functioning of society.

It deserves to be debated without prejudice.