For over two years, Respire – the French association for improving air quality – has been working with Clean Cities on a proposal to require major e-commerce platforms to contribute to funding public transport. In July, this idea was included in the report of the Ambition France Transports Conference, published by the Ministry of Transport, as one of the potential solutions to strengthen the sector’s economic model.

 

Each year in France, 1.5 billion parcels are delivered, generating pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and wear on road infrastructure and delivery zones. These impacts are worsened by failed deliveries, which require additional delivery rounds. This creates costs for local authorities, which are already investing in the expansion of public transport to free up road space and reduce traffic congestion. As it stands, e-commerce platforms benefit twice over from these local public investments—without contributing—while partly undermining their effects.

 

This is why Respire and Clean Cities recommend introducing a contribution from e-commerce companies to help finance the development of public transport. This would be a flat-rate fee, paid once the order is confirmed, by major e-commerce platforms, with the proceeds going to the local authorities that manage transport services. Deliveries to pick-up points, small businesses, and rural areas—more dependent on deliveries—would be exempt.

 

Such a measure could generate up to €538 million per year for public transport funding. It would therefore help improve air quality and encourage major e-commerce platforms to offer less polluting delivery options to their customers.

 

Over the past two years, this proposal has been regularly submitted as part of various national budget bills (Projets de loi de finances). Supported by several MPs across the political spectrum, it has been tabled multiple times but never adopted. This year, however, things may be different.

In the spring, the Ambition France Transports Conference was held—a highly anticipated event in the sector, aimed at defining a long-term funding model for transport in France. The conference brought together numerous experts and welcomed all contributions. Respire and Clean Cities presented theirs, which was included in the final report published by the Ministry in early July!

 

Buoyed by this success, the next step is to reintroduce the proposal during the 2026 national budget bill so that it can finally be passed!

 

We’ll keep you updated on what happens next!