The Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis is exploring ways to balance its 2026 budget without reducing funding for the communes or ending its free transport policy in Aubagne. To achieve this, the metropolitan executive has proposed a draft budget to the mayors, and early feedback suggests a consensus has been reached among elected officials. To boost revenue, the Metropolis plans to implement "social pricing" in its transport system, which means ending free travel for seniors and children across the entire area. However, children under 11 will still be able to travel for free. A nearly free option is being extended to students on scholarships and seniors over 65 who are not taxable. These groups will pay only 20 euros in application fees to travel across the territory, according to Nicolas Isnard, president of the Metropolis. Aubagne has had a full free transport policy in place for about 15 years. On paper, the new pricing strategy would end this. However, in practice, due to technical and political reasons, the free transport will continue "intra-muros" (within the city walls) at least until 2027, possibly longer, according to the metropolitan executive. To cover a 53 million euro budget gap, the executive plans to use an "accounting technique" involving the Metropolis's own funds to fill the gap in "investment amortizations." This loss will be compensated by borrowing, as confirmed by Nicolas Isnard. While this method is within the legal framework for local authority finances, it increases the Metropolis's debt, potentially affecting its financial rating and leading to higher interest rates from banks. The 2027 budget is expected to be even more challenging than 2026. The government's recent finance bill (PLF) requires an additional 5.4 billion euros from local authorities to restore public accounts, which could result in a 150 million euro reduction for the Metropolis. This would directly impact the budgets of the communes, with Marseille facing a 46 million euro loss, according to Joël Canicave, deputy for finance of Benoît Payan. Mayors across the Metropolis and the Bouches-du-Rhône department are seeking to take a "strong collective action" against the government. While the specific form of this action is still being decided, all elected officials in the region are expected to soon vote on a special motion to denounce the new financial cuts imposed by the State.