On 1 March 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make public transport free nation-wide. Three years on, residents, commuters from neighbouring countries and tourists alike enjoy the bus, tram and train services free of charge.
“This allows all border residents, especially those from Belgium, Germany and France, to travel easily. And in addition, it is a good form of freedom. We don’t have this in France. There are fewer controllers, there is less hassle”, someone riding the tram said, reported by euronews.
Keeping public transport free is a €500 million annual investment, only €41 million of which are being recouped from the sale of first class tickets. The government considers this a fair amount of the national budget for the benefits it brings. The move is part of a plan to transition to multimodal transport.
The introduction of free public transport is an important social measure. You could describe it as the social icing on the cake of the global strategy for a multimodal revolution.
François Bausch, Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister
According to Eurostat, Luxembourg has the highest number of cars per person in the EU, with 662 cars per 1,000 people in 2016. Considering it also has some of the lowest gas prices in Europe, convincing people to give up their cars will be hard work. Two years after public transport had become free, congestion in Luxembourg was still at the same levels or even higher, according to Luxembourgish media virgule.
However, Deputy Prime Minister François Bausch said that making public transport free is just the beginning, arguing that before taking more coercive measures aimed at reducing the use of cars, people need to have viable alternative solutions. Accordingly, the country is also investing in making train services more reliable, as well as in cycling infrastructure and electric vehicles charging stations.
Among the projects are: the systematic expansion of capacity in the national rail network; doubling the current number of car parking spaces, especially at the borders so that the 200,000 commuters who come to Luxembourg every day from neighbouring countries can have convenient connections; the complete overhaul of the national network of bus routes and switching the fleet to alternative drive technology by 2030; a cohesive network of cycle routes.
Apart from this, Bausch pointed out the move also increases equity, saying that “the policy establishes a principle that people’s access to transport should not be restricted by their income”. Thus, for people on a minimum wage or relatively low salaries, the public transport is truly free, while for those who already pay higher taxes, Bausch said “the price is perhaps a little higher”.
