The change, approved by the Conseil de Paris (city council) on Thursday, will save families €350 annually.
The move applies only to children who hold an Imagine R student Navigo pass, which covers Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region, rather than visitors to the French capital.
Gratuité des transports en commun pour les moins de 18 ans, budget supplémentaire, plan de soutien aux acteurs économiques : suivez le Conseil de Paris en direct.https://t.co/cu91YbIzKd
— Paris (@Paris) July 23, 2020
Until now free public transport applied only to children up to the age of 11, with older children entitled to fifty per cent off their annual pass, but City Hall has decided to extend the benefit at an estimated cost of €12.6m per year.
When schools return, families will be able to apply for a full reimbursement to their Imagine R travel passes which they should receive in five to six weeks.
“The evolution towards a more sustainable, clean and multifaceted model of urban mobility involves developing the reflex to use public transport from an early age.” said a City Hall statement.
Around 135,000 young Parisians will potentially be able to benefit from the measure.
These 12 million could help build some real cycle paths or build one park a year