the financing of the functioning of the line, maintenance, cars, and employees is handled by the ratp, however fares are dictated legislatively and income from ticket sales do not completely cover the network's entire costs. this difference is made up by funding from the "syndicat des transports d'île-de-france (stif)" ("île-de-france transportation union"), which has been presided over since 2005 by the president of the "conseil régional d'île-de-france", composed of locally elected persons. this group defines the general conditions of use as well as the duration and frequency of services. financing is assured by a 3.5 billion euro subsidy made possible through transportation deposits paid by corporations and contributions from public community groups.