Working together to ease the transport lockdown successfully

We have adapted signage in our facilities, to encourage physical distancing. Over the past two weeks, a million stickers have been printed and affixed to certain seats, indicating that they should not be used. On the platforms, floor markings have been used to avoid passengers crossing paths. Near service counters, in connecting corridors, and also inside rolling stock, floor markings remind passengers to maintain sufficient distance between each other. In terms of cleanliness, incentive measures have been put in place, to remind passengers of the right habits to adopt, such as throwing away single-use masks, gloves or tissues. Finally, audio announcements adapted to each transport mode are broadcast on our networks, in order to encourage compliance with distancing rules and barrier measures.

Under the hashtag #TousMobilisés, Île-de-France Mobilités, RATP and the other regional operators have launched a communications campaign to promote the responsible use of public transport. It is based on strong slogans on 3 themes: teleworking (“to go to the office, the safest way is to go from the bathroom to the living room”), the staggering of working hours (“to help tackle the virus, let’s postpone the 9:30 a.m. meeting.”) and the use of alternative mobility with the slogan “bike-work-sleep”. The campaign is supported by 16 ads in the national and regional press, on the website 20 minutes.fr, and on partners’ social networks. It is also displayed on 690 Numériflash screens on the RATP network.

We are encouraging passengers to opt for alternatives to public transport, such as bicycles or scooters. We have therefore launched a call for partnership with new mobility operators, with a scheme inspired by the scheme implemented during the strike, which allowed us to carry up to 500,000 passengers. We have 15 partners by our side as of 11 May: hybrid bikes, kick scooters, electric scooters, dock-less bikes for hire, and bicycle rental and repair services.

Discover all their offers: www.ratp.fr/mobilisesensemble/mobilites-alternatives

“It is because we value you that, more than ever, we are taking action to let you get back on our network, in complete safety.” An appeal to civic spirit and responsibility, the Pact that we offer our passengers mirrors our commitments and the new habits to be adopted in our networks as from 11 May.

RATP Group is aware that this crisis is an unprecedented challenge for public transport, and is therefore committing significant resources to improving the transport health conditions for its customers all over the world. In the Île-de-France region, with the support of Île-de-France Mobilités, disinfectant cleaning has been doubled on the metro and RER, and in metro, RER and bus stations since the start of the crisis. The number of cleaning staff has been increased by 50%, from 1,200 to 1,800. We are deploying innovative solutions to disinfect our rolling stock, such as the ultra-low volume nebuliser technique. In 2020, the company’s cleaning budget is expected to increase by over 70% to €160m.

At the same time, RATP is providing passengers with hand sanitiser gel. 50 distributors are already installed on the network, and our staff members are carrying out mobile distribution at peak times in stations with heavy traffic. By June, all our stations will be equipped, with a total of 1,000 distributors. Passengers will also be able to buy hand sanitiser gel and masks, gradually being put on sale in distributors and shops in the network.

We are deploying new innovative solutions, such as the disinfection of rolling stock with nebulisers. This process, inspired by practices in the airline industry, involves the vaporisation of 20-micron droplets of virucidal product. It was tested on 27 April in two of our bus depots, on 420 vehicles. It is being deployed from 11 May across the entire fleet of 4,700 buses. In just a few weeks, we have completely changed our rolling stock cleaning policy, putting in place robust industrial processes capable of handling a network as extensive as ours. The use of nebulisers is also being trialled on metro trains, on lines 1 and 13.

We are encouraging remote ticket selling in order to limit physical contact and avoid an influx of passengers buying and recharging tickets and travel passes. The RATP app now allows you to recharge your Navigo pass via your phone, and the purchase of bus tickets is available by SMS ticketing. Passengers can also use the RATP app to make real-time reports of cleanliness problems they may encounter while travelling, for quick intervention.