Since 1979, the STRMTG has been in charge of safety-related activities in passenger transportation and acts in the name of the French government.

The STRMTG is a national agency that depends on the Department of Transport and Sea working within the French Transport, Infrastructure, Tourism and Sea Ministry. The STRMTG is the ministry’s taskforce in ropeway and guided transport safety.

In French law, ropeways include any device transporting the public by means of ropes or cogs.

In French law, guided transports refer to any device transporting the public along an assigned trajectory. This includes :

• urban transports such as metro lines, tramways (both on rail or on tire);
• touristic or historical railways.
  Guided transport does not include conventional or high speed railways.

The STRMTG is assigned the following tasks :

1. Statistical analysis of French ropeway and guided transport installations;
2. Promotion of associated technologies;
3. Study, research and expertise as well as production of technical referentials and documents
4. Delivery of technical certificates when the regulation requires it, instruction of cases submitted to specialised commissions and proposals for improving the regulations to the central government;
5. Coordination of local offices (See "The organisation of control in France);
6. Relationships with other scientific organisations and professional organisations outside the Ministry.
7. Building a high level of qualification for Ministry civil servants involved in ropeways and guided transports, through continuous training.

In addition, the STRMTG was designated by the French government as a notified body under the 2000/9/EC directive relative to cableway installations designed to carry persons in January 2003.