Observant travelers will have noticed a small change from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord in Paris. Since September 25, a very peculiar object has seen the light of day. To be more precise, it's a box, the presence of which raises a few questions. So, why have these boxes been installed and what are they for?
The answer comes from Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM). In a press release published on September 26, the mobility authority for the Île-de-France region explains that these boxes, currently present in two stations on the Île-de-France network, are used to " recover Navigo Easy passes from occasional travelers who no longer need them", and thus " redistribute them to people in precarious situations".
These Navigo Easy passes, purchased for the most part by travelers passing through the Ile-de-France region, very often end up in the trash. So Île-de-France Mobilités has decided to take matters into its own hands. As IDFM points out, these Navigo Easy passes are not nominative. It is therefore possible to pass them on to others. They are also refillable, with an estimated lifespan of 10 years! What's more, the number of transport cards issued is limited, so you might as well reuse them.
To take part in this environmentally-friendly operation, simply slip your Navigo Easy pass into one of the boxes available at Gare de l'Est and Gare du Nord stations, which can be identified by a sticker. " After checking that they are valid and working properly, the Navigo Easy passes will be donated to associations and redistributed to people in need ," explains Île-de-France Mobilités.
If the operation is a success, other boxes of this kind should be installed in other stations throughout the Ile-de-France network.
Official website
www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr
