Meet Élisabeth Borne, CEO of RATP

Making travel easier

What changes will the people of Ile-de-France benefit from in the years to come?

Elisabeth Borne - Although the Paris network is now one of the best meshed in the world, there is still a real need for infrastructure as soon as you move away from the conurbation. The future Grand Paris Express, with 200 km of new lines, will encourage suburb-to-suburb travel. In the meantime, the metro line extensions - four are currently underway - and the accelerated development of the tram network, which has tripled in size since 2012, are already helping to address this problem.

How can we encourage a reduction in vehicle use and smoother traffic flow in the Paris region?

E. B. - Over and above the cost of transport, which must remain attractive, it is up to us as transport operators to improve the quality of service and make journeys ever easier, so as to encourage even more people to switch from their cars to public transport. That's why, with the support of STIF, we are pursuing an unprecedented investment policy, with €8.5 billion planned over the next five years.

How do you see your role as President at a key moment in RATP's history?

E. B. - The opening up to competition in the Ile-de-France region, which has been effective for all new lines since 2009, means that we have to surpass ourselves and offer the best international standards. With this in mind, I have set three priorities for RATP: to aim for excellence in passenger service, to innovate and to be a key player in sustainable cities. We are going to become the world leader in clean buses by 2025, with 80 % of our fleet made up of electric buses and 20 % of biogas buses.