Luxembourg to make public transport free

Luxembourg is to become the first country in the world to allow free travel for everyone on public transport.
December 11, 2018 Read time: 1 min

The tiny European country’s coalition government, which was re-elected last week, has pledged to scrap fares on trains, trams and buses by the beginning of 2020.

The capital, Luxembourg City, has 110,000 residents – but another 400,000 commute in for work. This means that congestion is a major problem, with research suggesting that city drivers spent an average of 33 hours in traffic jams in 2016.

The Guardian newspaper says that free transport for every child and young person under the age of 20 has been in place since the summer, while secondary school students can use free shuttles between school and home.

US senator – and former presidential candidate – Bernie Sanders, welcomed the government’s decision, tweeting: “Congratulations to Luxembourg for taking the important step of making their public transportation free. At a time when scientists are warning us that we must take immediate and aggressive action to curb our carbon pollution emissions, public transit is already an excellent way to give people the option to get out of their cars and into buses and trains.”

Earlier this year, Estonia announced that it was flirting with the idea of free public transport nationwide, after implementing it in the capital, Tallinn.

 

UTC

Related Content

  • February 12, 2018
    Inrix: Congestion cost UK motorists over £37bn in 2017
    The UK is the third most congested country in Europe and the tenth most congested country in the world where costs amounted to more than £37.7bn ($52.2bn) for all drivers in 2017, an average of £1,168 ($2,233) per person. These findings come from Inrix’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard which analysed and ranked the impact of traffic congestion in 1,360 cities across 38 countries. London remained the UK’s most congested major city for the tenth consecutive year as drivers spent an average of 74 hours in
    Read More
  • February 7, 2018
    Inrix ranks U.S. most congested developed country in the world
    The U.S. is the most congested developed country in the world, with drivers spending an average of 41 hours a year in traffic during peak hours, costing them nearly $305bn (£220bn) in 2017, an average of $1,445 (£1,042) per driver. The findings come from Inrix’s annual Global Traffic Scorecard, which analysed 1,360 cities across 38 countries. Additionally, the study revealed that the U.S. had three of the top five most congested cities globally, costing an economic drain upwards of $2.5bn (£1.8bn). Los
    Read More
  • November 20, 2013
    Portable, smart desktop laser marker
    IRIS Corporation’s DLP400 Series is, the company says, the world’s first smart desktop laser marker that can be used for both passports and cards. It offers high functionality to meet growing demand for a wide range of identification issuance solutions among government bodies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, insurance companies, universities and card retailers.
    Read More
  • November 20, 2013
    Portable, smart desktop laser marker
    IRIS Corporation’s DLP400 Series is, the company says, the world’s first smart desktop laser marker that can be used for both passports and cards. It offers high functionality to meet growing demand for a wide range of identification issuance solutions among government bodies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, insurance companies, universities and card retailers.
    Read More

Highlighted Content