
One of the 15 most downloaded apps in the App Store, Akha (we’ll leave you to find out why this name was chosen) has been pinned publicly by Valérie Pécresse, President of Île-de-France Mobilités. Purporting to be a self-help and incident-reporting system, the app also allows users to warn of the presence of ticket inspectors on the transport network.
Will the “Waze of controllers” soon be banned?
Number 1 in the transport category of the App Store, Akha seems to be very popular with French users. On its interface, it is possible to make several types of reports, notably on delays or insecurity. But it’s the third category that’s not getting through. Named Akha, it is dedicated to reporting the presence of ticket inspectors in stations, thus facilitating fraud.
In a post on X published at the beginning of the week, Valérie Pécresse said she was “outraged” by this application, pointing out in passing that the cost of fraud represents almost 700 million euros a year, and that reporting ticket inspectors is a criminal offence. In response, the politician announced that she had served formal notice on the owner of the application, with the aim of shutting it down. At the same time, IDF Mobilités will also be lodging a complaint.