It is a world premiere. Luxembourg was the first country to make public transport free of charge. Ticket machines can be dismantled. Checkers are a thing of the past.
Luxembourg (dpa) - That's it with the tickets in Luxembourg. Since Saturday it has been easy: get in and ride. Because trains, buses and trams are now free of charge in the entire Grand Duchy.
Luxembourg is the first country in the world to make all public transport free - and this small country is celebrating it big. Music sounds at the train stations: people rap, dance, sing and rock. And in the trains and trams, artists spread a party mood with mini concerts.
The free transport was supposed to start on Sunday (March 1st). Because of the celebrations on Saturday, the government had decided a few days earlier to start one day earlier.
"It's a big day," said Luxembourgish Minister of Mobility François Bausch (Greens) at the start. With the switch to free transport, you want to get people to switch from cars to buses and trains. "Our goal is to transport around 20 percent more passengers by 2025," says the green politician. Because like many other cities and countries in Europe, Luxembourg suffers from many long traffic jams.
It is clear that the switch to free alone is not enough to lure people into the "public transport". "We have to make transportation as attractive and reliable as possible so that it is a real alternative." How does it work? Among other things, the bus and train lines are being massively expanded - more trains, new routes, closer intervals. A whopping four billion euros will be invested in rail alone from 2018 to 2027. Plus 550 million for the tram route in the capital. "Urban spaces must once again belong to people, not cars," says the minister.
Elisabeth Schickes from Steinfort thinks it's great that she can now take the train for free. "Two euros here, two euros there. That has eased up." Free of charge is a good incentive to switch. Christiane Wagener from the capital, on the other hand, thinks that public transport should not have been free. "I didn't think it was expensive before." Astrid from France thinks that other countries could follow the example of Luxembourg. "It's a good thing."
The free public transport, which Bausch likes to call "icing on a multimodal cake", means additional expenses of 41 million euros per year for the Luxembourg state. Multimodal means: switch smartly between car, bus, train, bike and car sharing to reach your destination. In addition, the city of Luxembourg has raised 16 million euros. Mayor Lydie Polfer is banking on a "change of consciousness" - because the city groans especially under the traffic.
The capital makes up only two percent of the total area of the country with its approximately 620,000 inhabitants, she says. One percent of these are green spaces - the other percent are home to 20 percent of the country's residents. And there would also be 40 percent of the jobs. This explains why tens of thousands of commuters come to the city every day. By 2030, only electric buses will be on the road.
The new mobility strategy is also a response to the large number of cross-border commuters. Around 220,000 people from France, Belgium and Germany come to work in Luxembourg every day. They also benefit from the free transport: they only have to buy their tickets as far as the Luxembourg border. The 1st class of the train remains chargeable.
Minister Bausch sees Luxembourg as a "laboratory" for traffic problems in the 21st century. According to the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, the second smallest country in the EU can also serve as a model for German cities and regions - in order to bring more people into public transport. The decisive factor is not cost-free, but rather the conversion of the traffic area, the expansion of offers and the improvement of quality, says spokesman Alexander Handschuh.
"We need a master plan for the turnaround in traffic." For cities that are made for the citizens and give priority to cycling, pedestrian traffic and public transport. The federal, state and local authorities would have to "show a little more determination," he said in Berlin. Of course, the Luxembourg model could not be transferred one to one. "But I don't see a region as far as Luxembourg at the moment," said Handschuh.
"There is huge interest worldwide," says Bausch on free traffic. The party continues all weekend. On Saturday evening, a party with DJs should take place in the new tram depot on Kirchberg. And on Sunday there is a party in the city center.
Free mobility
The new Tramsschapp
Mobility Day
German Association of Cities and Municipalities on Public Transport