Every year, European Mobility Week – which ends next Monday – reminds us of an obvious truth: mobility is at the heart of our lives. To move is to go to work, to study, to receive healthcare, to see loved ones, to access culture. Nothing is possible without transport – least of all social mobility! Mobility is therefore a societal issue: do we want an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable mobility system? In a context of social tension and climate change, the answer can only be yes. The future of mobility lies in public transport.
[Tribune Les Echos] Long live public transport – Marie-Ange Debon
The figures speak for themselves: transport still accounts for 31% of greenhouse gas emissions in France. Public transport, only 3%. Its role in the ecological transition is therefore decisive. But its usefulness goes beyond the environment: it also provides economic, social, and territorial solutions. It is first and foremost a tool for social justice. One might even call it the “right of rights”, the one that conditions all others. When a quarter of French people say they have given up a job or training because they could not get there, investing in buses, metros, trams, bikes, or trains is a way of fighting against being confined to one’s home. It is also a way of protecting purchasing power: an annual subscription costs two to three times less than using a car (fuel, insurance, maintenance, parking included) and remains well below its real cost, largely financed by the community. Finally, it creates jobs: more than 260,000 women and men work in the sector, at all qualification levels, in essential, non-relocatable professions, with increasing feminisation.
But for the French to turn massively to public transport, their expectations must be met. According to the UTP 2024 Mobility Observatory, 60% consider the current offer insufficient. More than half of motorists would be ready to switch, provided that this offer improves. This is not about stigmatising car users – many objectively need them. But they must be offered a credible alternative with a real supply shock: services that are more frequent, faster, safer, accessible over longer hours, covering more areas, and guaranteeing a smooth experience. Otherwise, they will understandably stick to their habits.
Many local authorities are already showing the way: the introduction of contactless payment, double-decker electric express coaches between Nice and Sophia Antipolis, 24/7 on-demand transport in Orléans… These initiatives prove that progress is not theoretical but concrete, the result of political will as well as significant investment. We must now go further, beyond additional funding: developing seamless intermodality, designing attractive transport hubs, offering on-demand services and simple, accessible digital solutions.
The “Ambition France Transports” conference held this spring marked an important milestone: unprecedented funding to modernise the railways and launch regional express services, a legislative framework long awaited by the entire sector, and strengthened public oversight of major infrastructure. The roadmap is clear. Operators, including Keolis of course, will support it, placing passenger care at the heart of their action while also relying on innovation, which is a decisive lever. Artificial intelligence and digital technology enable enhanced real-time passenger information, optimised flows, improved security, predictive maintenance, autonomous vehicles, and more.
Because they combine mobility and social inclusion, ecological transition, territorial attractiveness, and job creation, let us say it again, loud and clear: long live public transport!
Marie-Ange Debon, Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Keolis Group