Saving a Transit System Through Free Rides

Jean-Francois Mayet, the mayor of Châteauroux, introduced free ridership in a bid to turn around his town's failing transit system. Eleven years later, total ridership has increased 208 percent. Henry Grabar examines whether free transit is scalable.

2 minute read

October 31, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT

By Jessica Hsu


Châteauroux isn't the first city to offer free public transportation, but it's the first example of a large city to do so. Henry Grabar observes, "the otherwise ordinary French town has become a canary in the coal mine of transportation policy, closely watched by the dozens of other municipalities in various stages of free transit experiments." A French report [PDF] released this year found that per person ridership in Châteauroux is up from 21 to 61 trips a year; and the city turned a profit in '03, '04, '05, and '07, after eliminating bus fares in 2001.

"The motivations for making a transit system free are obvious," writes Grabar. "Increased ridership can relieve traffic, improve the environment, boost the system's efficiency, give residents more spending money, help the poor, and rejuvenate central business districts." The results of free mass transit in Châteauroux have been positive, but "[t]here were growing pains: the number of slashed or tagged seats grew from a dozen in 2001 to 118 in 2002. Drivers complained that passengers treated the bus like a personal car, expecting to be dropped off at their doorsteps."

Bruno Cordier, author of a 2007 report Totally Free Mass Transit [PDF], attributes Châteauroux's success to not only free ridership, but also the simultaneous expansion of its transit network. He cautions that "[g]ratuity alone does not make the network attractive" and argues that "the system won't work at all in big cities, where 30-40 percent of transit revenue comes from ticket sales, as opposed to a mere 14 percent in Châteauroux."

The demonetization of the transit system in Aubagne (pop 100,000) has also proven successful, but the verdict on whether the same can happen in big cities will soon be put to the test. "At the end of this year," reports Grabar, "Tallin, Estonia (pop. 406,000) will eliminate fares on its transit system for residents, making it the world's biggest city with free mass transit."

Friday, October 26, 2012 in The Atlantic Cities

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business