Mobility Week in France: a chance to test a different daily journey

European Mobility Week begins on 16 September and runs through 22 September 2026. In France, the campaign is an invitation to try walking, cycling, public transport and shared journeys. The transport ministry’s announcement places access for people of different ages and circumstances at the centre of this year’s programme.

The national dates are a starting point, not a timetable for every local activity. The ministry invites councils, associations, businesses and residents to propose initiatives, including mobility challenges, workshops and car-free days. Participation does not mean that every town will close roads or make its transport network free.

Local programmes have their own dates

Haut Val de Sèvre provides one concrete example. Its intermunicipal authority has announced activities from 14 to 25 September, extending on either side of the European week. It describes free public events introducing carpooling, collective transport, digital mobility tools and solidarity-based transport, alongside work with employers and social organisations.

The local programme also introduces lightweight vehicles between a conventional bicycle and a car. For residents, an organised demonstration can make an unfamiliar option easier to assess. The authority links a downloadable programme; consult that for the activity you want before travelling, rather than assuming all sessions run throughout the fortnight.

Check the journey, not just the event

Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération describes a different mix: bicycle-repair workshops, transport-use guidance, discovery rides and inclusive-mobility activities. Its campaign page directs readers to the local agenda for the current edition’s detailed arrangements. Those examples show why a national campaign is most useful when paired with a local schedule.

The Mulhouse page also advertises free Saturday travel on the Soléa network from 4 July through 26 September 2026. That seasonal offer overlaps the campaign but has its own dates. It should not be read as free transport for every day of Mobility Week, or as an offer applying elsewhere in France.

For a useful trial, choose an actual journey—work, shopping or a visit—and check the return leg as carefully as the outward one. Compare the walking connections, access needs and service times. The point of the week is easier to judge through a journey you could repeat than through an attractive activity that does not fit your daily routine.

Written for WHIF from the linked material. This article does not claim on-the-ground reporting. Our editorial standards.