Paris travel pass holders offered refunds over poor service in 2022

Public transport authorities in the Paris region have announced they will offer reimbursements for certain travel pass holders who suffered from delayed and limited services in 2022.

Published: 16 February 2023 18:04 CET

Paris travel pass holders offered refunds over poor service in 2022

A commuter buys a ticket for the RATP (Paris' public transports operator) public transport (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

The reimbursements will be allotted as part of two campaigns – one for people who held Navigo passes during the final months of 2022 and another focused on those who encountered the most difficulties with certain parts of the RER system during the calendar year of 2022.

For most eligible people, the reimbursement will be equivalent to at least half of cost of a monthly Navigo pass, or €37.60, according to Service-Public. Passengers who use RER lines B and D may be eligible for additional compensation.

Why offer the reimbursement?

Valérie Pécresse, head of regional transport authority IDFM, said that between September and December 2022, Paris region transport users “suffered a severe deterioration in the quality of transport, linked to recruitment difficulties and numerous widespread industrial action that disrupted operations”, according to Le Figaro.

Pécresse also noted that “punctuality rates for RER lines B and D fell below 80 percent” at certain points of 2022.

Who qualifies?

Anyone who purchased a Navigo Passes during the final four months of 2022 will qualify for the partial refund as part of IDFM’s “general campaign”. In this case, you would be allotted a reimbursement worth of up to half of your monthly Navigo pass (€37.60).

This includes those who hold annual Navigo passes, Navigo Senior passes, Imagine R Student passes, Imagine R School passes, and Navigo Solidarité passes (for 75 percent and 50 percent holders).

Others might be entitled to a more significant reimbursement, as part of a separate “contractual punctuation campaign”, which is a second scheme intended to aid those who were primarily impacted by delays and issues with the RER B and D. This programme cover the whole period of 2022.

Specifically, those who held at least six months worth of Navigo passes during the period where the “five network routes” included on the RER lines B and D ran with a punctuality rate below 80 percent could get up to a full month’s reimbursement (€75.20) for their Navigo pass.

These five networks include the Aulnay-sous-Bois to CDG portion of the RER B North line; the Aulnay to Mitry -Claye portion of the RER B North line; the Parc de Sceaux to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse portion of the RER B South line; the Bourg-la-Reine to Robinson portion of the RER B South Line and the Goussainville to Survilliers-Fosses of the RER D.

Those impacted by issues with the lines B and D who held at least three months worth of passes (for the four final months of 2022) could be eligible for an additional reimbursement of half their Navigo pass.

How to request the reimbursement

Starting on March 14th, you will be able to log onto a dedicated platform to make your reimbursement request. The options will be separated the ‘general campaign’ and the ‘contractual punctuality campaign’ (aid for those primarily impacted by issues with the RER B and D throughout 2022).

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