Implementation of a night brigade, recruitment of agents, the metropolitan public transport authority is equipping itself with additional resources to combat fraud across its entire bus and tram network.
Be prepared to encounter more inspectors on your daily travels, especially in the evening, late at night, and early in the morning. Lignes d’Azur is recruiting 17 additional agents who will join the Transport Security and Control Group (GSCT) by the end of 2023. The workforce will thus increase from 54 to 71 with a “zero tolerance” policy.
This increase has been made with the intention of creating “a night brigade” to ensure better safety for users over a wider time range. Thus, teams will be mobilized until the last tram runs at 2:18 AM.
“Previously, there were inspections, but they were less frequent than during peak hours,” says Christian Estrosi. For example, between 6 PM and 8 PM, about 15,000 people use public transport.
130 fines per day
In Nice, nearly 130 fines are issued each day to those who cannot present a valid ticket. The amount of this fraud amounts to five million euros every year for Lignes d’Azur. “Those who pay should not feel they are treated equally as those who do not pay,” he asserts firmly.
Not validating your subscription card exposes you to a 10-euro fine, not validating your ticket or doing so when inspectors board costs 40 euros. However, if you do not present any ticket, you risk receiving a 60-euro fine.
Paying directly on the spot is advantageous, as there is a surcharge if you pay later, within thirty days. After a month, the surcharge increases to 40 euros.
“Zero fraud” objective
The aim is to achieve “zero delinquency and zero fraud, in a few months within our transport network,” says the mayor of Nice, president of the NCA metropolis. The method: recruit more agents who will be more likely to intercept fraudsters in case of an alert by the Urban Supervision Center which processes images filmed by surveillance cameras.
Gaël Nofri, president of Régie Lignes d’Azur, also informs that the turnstiles at the Jean-Médecin tramway station will be put back into service in February. Those in other underground stations had been reactivated on July 1st. This is also a means to curb fraud, synonymous for him with “greater justice and equity.”
The issue is partly financial. The savings achieved are used, according to his statements, to reinvest directly in various projects undertaken by the NCA metropolis to expand and improve its transport lines.
The mayor mentions notably the high service level bus (BHNS) arriving soon on Gambetta, the construction site of the T4 line that must start, that of the T5 line in the Paillon valley, or even the cable car line between CADAM and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. “The less fraud you have, the more revenue you have, allowing you to restrict the timeline for the investments made on the future lines,” he adds.
Fight against fraud and insecurity, same battle
But fighting fraud in transport is not just a financial issue, according to the mayor of Nice; it is entirely synonymous with fighting violence. “Insecurity starts first by fighting fraud,” declares Christian Estrosi.
According to Lignes d’Azur, fraud affects 10% to 20% of public transport users in Nice, and this proportion is perceived by the mayor as “a threat”: “Among these people, we may fear some might act aggressively, provoke or be pickpockets.”
According to a report by the Ministry of the Interior, violence in public transportation in the Alpes-Maritimes increased by 26% between 2021 and 2022. The mayor disputes these figures, criticizing the report for generalizing as it includes all public transportation, including SNCF, which does not paint a unique picture of the Régie Lignes d’Azur situation.
But some figures are reassuring. Since the beginning of 2023, the authority has recorded a 30% increase in subscriptions. “We now have a level of fraud that is rather lower, in relation to a higher ridership level,” he praises.
