With 614,000 residents, Luxembourg is a small European nation that has made news lately for launching the first countrywide free public transportation system in history. The program will go into effect on March 1, 2020. Except for first-class rail passengers, this innovative measure encompasses buses, trams, and trains and permits both locals and visitors to ride without a ticket.
Despite being referred to as “free transport,” the service is extremely expensive—more than €500 million. The €41 million in missing ticket sales will be borne by taxpayers; nevertheless, transportation employees will continue to work, although for shorter shifts. This represents a major shift in the financing and accessibility of transportation.
The choice to carry out this massive project has several justifications. Firstly, by raising taxes on those with greater incomes, it serves as a social policy to redistribute wealth. Furthermore, as Luxembourg has the highest rate of automobile ownership per capita among EU countries, it addresses the country’s increasing traffic congestion problem. The goal is to stimulate a 20% increase in the use of public transportation over the next five years by removing financial obstacles, hence raising environmental consciousness and reducing carbon emissions.
Despite encountering problems linked to operations and infrastructure, Luxembourg’s ambitious approach towards sustainable mobility through free public transit signals a key step in decreasing environmental harm and boosting social well-being.
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