Autorité organisatrice de transports

In France, an autorité organisatrice de transports (transport organisation authority), usually abbreviated AOT, is one of the local government bodies implementing the 1982 law for the organisation of transportation in France.^[1]

At the local level a commune, or more commonly a group of them, is an autorité organisatrice de transport urbain (urban transport organisation authority). Such an organisation may either run public transport services itself (a régie en droit public français) or contract them out other bodies such as private companies (a délégation de service public). Authorities try to balance the books, notably by levying a tax called the versement transport (VT) which is deducted from wages of those working in the area covered by their services, known as the périmètre de transport urbain (PTU).

Regions of France are autorités organisatrices des transports non urbains (non-urban transport organisation authorities) for their area.. Before 2017 and NOTRe (Nouvelle Organisation Territoriale de la République - literrally "New Territorial Organization of Republic)) law, departements of France were authorities. Île-de-France Mobilités, formerly the Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF), is the transport organisation authority in the Île-de-France.

In urban areas the AOT governing the regional rail services provided by the Transport express régional, that of the General Coach Council (French: conseil général pour les autocars) and one or more other inter-commune public bodies, all may coexist trying to govern the same geographical area. This can create difficulties in co-ordinating timetables, service frequencies and fares. Sometimes this is sorted out by creating a joint syndicate body to which the several AOTs delegate their authority.