Every now and then, a baby is born on the platform of a station, on a train or in the RER, like this Friday, August 15, 2025, when a baby was born at Châtelet-les-Halles station, in the heart of Paris. Urban legend has it that every child born on public transport is entitled to a Navigo pass for life, just like a birth in the air, but is it really true?
[midroll]
Well, yes, at least, a gift is always provided for the family, whether at RATP or SNCF, on a case-by-case basis, depending on the different situations! While there's no official policy, in 2018, the region offered a baby born on an RER A free transport until it turned 25, and one on line 5 in 2024 until it turned 18, while in 2019, one born on a TGV Ouigo received free transport on this service until it came of age.
It seems, then, that commercial gestures are being offered until young adulthood to these children of unusual births. Fortunately, these are rare, and so much the better, as it's not the ideal time to give birth to a child. The RATP also offers a birth trousseau with flowers and cuddly toys, and a Navigo pass to the mother, but for lifetime tickets for the baby, that's just not true!
