Which urban mobility solution should you choose according to your budget?

In the city and in the suburbs, individual and collective transport are an integral part of the urban landscape. There are many different services and therefore many different fares.

In France, the average journey from home to work takes 35 minutes. In addition to this daily distance, there are trips for food shopping, administrative appointments, leisure activities and medical needs. In addition, the time spent on travel is substantial and merits consideration. In order to respond to the need to move quickly and easily, many French people prefer to travel by car. However, this represents a real cost (insurance, fuel, parking, etc.). When it comes to urban mobility, people living in the Paris region are the most dissatisfied. Regularly confronted with congested roads, saturated transport and a journey time of more than 2 hours per day, they are subject to stress and irritability.

Faced with increasing travel needs and decreasing purchasing power, urban mobility solutions are diversifying. Find out which mobility solution is best for your budget.

Urban mobility: a significant budget

On a national scale, the majority of French people are satisfied with the time spent on their multiple trips. However, the situation is quite different when it comes to the expenses related to these trips.

After analyzing the different uses, a clear part of the population favors multimodal mobility. Only a small percentage of French people use only one mode. On average, the expenditure on travel amounts to 200 € per individual. The car remains the most expensive mode of transportation.

The average cost of public transport in urban areas is 40 € per month. These figures represent an individual cost. Multi-person households using urban transport therefore face costs that are two, three or even four times higher. For many households, these costs are difficult to meet.

People of modest means naturally move to the outskirts of large cities in order to take advantage of attractive real estate offers. However, owning a car to complete the urban mobility offer becomes a necessity, but represents a certain cost. While in 2020, few French people considered transportation costs to be unimportant, today 55% of the population expresses dissatisfaction.

Modern urban mobility has three objectives:

• to offer a range of services adapted to the decline in purchasing power;
• to reduce social inequalities related to transport
• to encourage people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Thus, several mobility solutions are available to city dwellers.

Relieving transportation costs

The individual is at the heart of urban mobility projects. The challenges of urban mobility are not only to move towards sustainable infrastructure and transport modes, but also to meet social and economic needs.

To achieve this, the objectives are to:

• toreduce the costs of travel between home and work
• to improve the quality of life (comfort, time savings, etc.) for users.

Employers are required to pay 50% of employees' transportation passes. This practice relieves employees financially and also helps to limit the use of private cars.

Companies are also encouraged to set up measures to encourage their employees to use soft mobility means of transport. In this respect, employers are invited to cover the costs of alternative transport (bicycle, scooter, etc.). Providing employees with a room or parking area where they can safely leave their bikes and scooters also allows employees to adopt low-cost, soft modes of transportation. Finally, flexible scheduling allows employees to use public transportation without fear of delays or congestion.

Inexpensive means of travel

Walking

Often forgotten, walking is a natural means of transportation. Free of charge, it allows you to maintain a good physical condition. However, walking is limited to short trips. Many people forget to walk to go to local shops.

Rollerblading

Ideal for short and medium distances, rollerblading can be practiced on sidewalks and bike paths in complete safety. However, getting around on rollerblades requires some skills. A pair of quality rollerblades and its set of protective accessories cost on average 100 €. This is a small investment for a fast, economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

Bicycles

A mode of transport that is both ecological, individual, inexpensive and dynamic, which is attracting more and more French people. Whether personal or self-service, bicycles, electric or not, are an integral part of the urban landscape.

This mode of travel, which is both green and economical, has a definite advantage when the roads are congested. The multiplicity of bicycle lanes in urban areas makes it easier to travel by bicycle. Moreover, they are often faster than a trip by bus, scooter or car. In addition, these lanes reserved for bicycles, electric scooters, rollerblades and scooters guarantee the safety of users.

In order to encourage people to favour soft mobility means of transport, the State provides financial aid from 300 € to 2,000 € for any purchase of an electric bicycle. However, buying a conventional bicycle, new or second-hand, is an affordable and sustainable purchase.

Finally, the deployment of bicycle fleets, self-service scooters and parking lots encourages the population to favour economical and responsible forms of mobility.

In conclusion, the combustion car is an expensive and environmentally damaging means of travel today. When the distance allows it, favouring soft mobility offers the possibility of making significant savings. If not, taking advantage of the fact that companies cover the cost of transport allows you to travel at low cost. In the city, mobility solutions, whether soft or collective, are omnipresent. The current challenge is to offer a range of solutions adapted to the economic, environmental and social needs of city dwellers.

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• Why is the electric bike more versatile for urban mobility?