Nearly 1 in 5 French Residents Lack Convenient Access to Public Transit

A new UFC-Que Choisir study highlights severe disparities in public transit availability, particularly in rural areas, and calls for reform in funding structures.

• The study reveals that 17% of metropolitan France's population does not have access to public transit within a 10-minute walk of their home.
• Rural departments like Gers, Lot, and Lozère are the most underserved, with over 60% of residents lacking nearby transit stops.
• Nearly half of small municipalities with fewer than 1,000 residents are completely without public transit options such as buses or trains.
• The study also finds that 85.3% of the population does not have a train, metro, or tram station within a 10-minute walk, with accessibility even limited for cyclists in most areas.
• UFC-Que Choisir criticizes the current funding model, which relies on local business contributions, as disadvantaging rural areas and urges a comprehensive overhaul to ensure equitable transit development.

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