Contribution to evaluating fare-free public transport on weekends in Clermont Auvergne Métropole[Contribution à l'évaluation de la mesure de gratuité des transports en commun le week-end à Clermont Auvergne Métropole]

The EGRET project, funded by SMTC-AC, was designed to contribute to the evaluation of the effects of the free public transport scheme introduced at weekends on Clermont-Ferrand public transport network from 4 December 2021. EGRET was structured around three different tasks. Task T0 aimed, on the one hand, to clarify the objectives, as well as the expected positive and negative effects of the fare-free transport measure and, on the other hand, to grasp the key elements (context and stakes, place of the measure in the transport and mobility policy...) to be taken into account for carrying out a statistical analysis of the effectiveness of the measure. The aim of task T1 was to evaluate the specific effect of the measure on public transport ridership. The analyses were based on econometric models comparing public transport ridership levels before and after the introduction of free travel, while controlling for certain factors (e.g. petrol prices, weather, etc.) which could have an impact on patronage. The results show that free public transport led to a 47% increase in ridership on weekends, and that this increase was significantly higher for tramways (+54%) than for bus lines (+45%). However, the analyses show that the effect of the measure on weekday ridership is not statistically significant. EGRET project task T2 aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying the increase in weekend public transport ridership and the determinants of changes in mobility behaviour induced by free public transport (individual and household characteristics, residential location). Statistical and econometric analyses carried out in this task were based on the 2022 CEREMA Certified Mobility Survey (EMC²). Descriptive statistics relating to the web section of the EMC² survey show that almost 53% of public transport users living within the SMTC-AC's territorial jurisdiction declare that they use more public transport due to the free travel measure, whether at weekends and/or during the week. They also show that this increase in the use of public transport is mainly linked to shopping and leisure trips. Econometric analyses show that the age, income level, family structure and residential location significantly affect the probability that people use more public transport because of the free transport measure. The report is divided into four main parts. The first part presents the work carried out in task T0 of the project. The second part reviews the scientific literature, aiming mainly to summarise the effects and mechanisms identified in empirical studies, in order to compare them with the results obtained as part of the EGRET project. The third and fourth parts present the methods and results of the analyses carried out respectively in task T1 and task T2 of the EGRET project.