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Metro: some users of the Navigo Liberté + were mistakenly charged twice

undefined undefined 5 mars 2025 undefined 12h00

undefined undefined 5 mars 2025 undefined 13h43

The Editor

© DR / Le Bonbon

Today, more than 800,000 Parisians have discovered the joys of the Freedom Pass +. It's an absolutely brilliant invention that lets you pay for your journeys at the end of the month, without any commitment, while enjoying a discount on the ticket price. But, there’s a little catch, and some users have felt the impact.

At the end of the month, when it was time to receive their Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) bill, some fans of Parisian public transport were in for a nasty surprise: some of their trips, which have been priced at €1.99 since January 1st, had been charged twice to their accounts. So, was it a case of badly adjusted validators, or rules that turned out to be a bit more complex than expected? What really happened? And most importantly, is a refund possible for those affected? Let’s break it down for you.


Turnstiles That Aren't Turning Right

Since January 1st, the capital and its surroundings have freed themselves from rules, abolishing borders, and finally switching to a single ticket that is completely zone-free. A little revolution, especially...

Ticket for holders of the Liberté + or Easy pass, who can now enjoy all the Île-de-France transportation, including RER and Transiliens, without worrying about keeping a certain distance. However, the transition isn't always smooth on the wallet.

As this little revolution in transportation comes with a shift to all digital, featuring cards and smartphones, and especially the disappearance of paper tickets, it also brings along a few bugs related to technology and computers. While trips are supposed to be valid for 2 hours, some people have found themselves charged twice after making a switch between two different modes of transport. This issue is partly linked to some misconfigured validators, which has been noted by the transportation authority since… 2019! This glitch affects around 10,000 ticket machines, but they are working on fixing it.


More unpredictable transfers than expected

Another situation arises with mode transfers.port that have been considered as 2 distinct journeys since January 1st. We're talking here about these connections between two stations that can feel like a simple change of platform, since the stations are connected to each other, or really very close, but actually require a new validation of your transport ticket. And while paper tickets didn't make this distinction, digital passes do.

This new policy mainly applies in cases where transfers between two stations require you to step outside and walk a few minutes to reach the new stop. This is the case, for example, between Gare d'Austerlitz and Gare de Lyon, between Porte-Dauphine (line 2) and Avenue-Foch (RER C), or even between Javel (RER C) and Javel-André Citroën (line 10).


What refunds are possible? 

In the first case, it is indeed a problem at the IDFM level, and a refund is possible. To request this, you just need to “simply” fill out a form with your request on the website. For now, the company wants to emphasize that these issues are very rare, and in 2024, only around 500 reports have been made while the Libert&eacut .e; + still counting 815,000 subscribers. However, for others who are victims of unclear communication, it seems quite pointless to plead your case. Nevertheless, IDFM's director, Laurent Probst, has announced that he is open to discussion if he notices that the increased traffic at these stations becomes too significant. And we want to assure you, that all these issues sometimes work in your favor, as we've heard about users being charged only €1.99 to get to Orly, instead of the regular €13…