Picture this: a country where your every journey, whether you're a local or a foreigner irrespective of your age, comes with a delightful price tag of zero. That's the captivating reality one discovers when visiting Luxembourg. For a traveller operating on a tight budget, transit expenses around a country reduced to zero can be not just a welcome relief but also a fascinating prospect. But is free public transport merely a means of saving money for citizens and visitors, or does it hold advantages that extend far beyond? This article will explore the benefits of free public transport, supported by evidence from various sources.
Despite being the first country to make all public transport free (The Guardian, 2018), Luxembourg is not the only in experimenting with fare-free transportation. Tallinn, capital city of Estonia, was the largest city in the world and first capital city that introduced a free transit service in 2013 (The Economist, 2019). There are other cities and countries around the globe that have been edging toward free fares, like Spain offering free train travel on some routes (The Guardian 2022), Massachusetts city (Barry & Rybus, 2020) and many more.
But Everything Is Not So Obvious
The first benefit of free public transport that comes to mind is a potential reduction in traffic congestion. It's a logical assumption, but let's take a closer look. While historical experience suggested that offering public transport for free could significantly shift people from cars to public transit (Bamberg and Schmidt 1999), recent research findings paint a more complex picture. Surprisingly, it appears that making transit free doesn't always succeed in luring people away from their cars (Bull et al., 2020). For example, despite Luxembourg’s policy of free public transport, in May 2022, road congestion levels were comparable to or even higher than those in May 2019, before the implementation of the free public transit policy (Mittelberger, 2022). This raises a perplexing question: what, then, is the true impact and purpose of free public transport?
Driving Job Opportunities
One of the important implications of affordable transit lies in its significant impact on the labour market. Numerous studies have unveiled a positive correlation between transportation access and employment prospects (e.g., Bastiaanssen et al., 2020). Free public transport not only makes commuting more affordable for job seekers but also widens the geographical scope of their job hunt within the city or region. For example, research by Franklin (2017) in urban Ethiopia demonstrates that providing transport subsidies intensifies job search efforts among young individuals and enhances the likelihood of securing permanent employment. In Tallinn, a remarkable 40% of the unemployed population attests that free public transport has enhanced their job prospects (Cats and al., 2017).
Moreover, there are cost-saving benefits to the working population on individual level. Commuting expenses, encompassing fuel, parking, and public transit fares, often constitute a substantial financial burden for low and moderate-income workers. In a study involving individuals benefiting from free public transport, participants experienced a remarkable $575 increase in earnings compared to the control group. (Phillips, 2014). According to Bloomberg analysis there definitely are riders in Luxembourg for whom the cost savings are meaningful. “This policy is saving me close to 500 euros a year” said Max, a 26-year-old special needs teacher who worked in Luxembourg City but lived in France (O'Sullivan, 2022).
Levelling the Playing Field
Embracing free public transport is a transformative force that democratizes access to opportunities. It's a game-changer that bridges the gap, ensuring everyone can reach jobs, educational institutions, and vital services with ease. In Tallinn, for instance, the introduction of costless public transport saw a significant drop in the number of individuals who did not perform any trip, with the proportion dwindling from 18% to 13% (Cats and al., 2017). In the United States, social disparities often align with racial lines, and free transit fares have the potential to bolster racial equity. However, this isn't just a matter of dollars and cents. As observed by community organizer Destiny Thomas, U.S. transit systems have historically relied on the penalization of poverty as a primary source of revenue (Thomas, 2020). Fines have been imposed on those who couldn't afford a ticket. It has been found that nine in ten court summons for failing to have a ticket were issued to African Americans (The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 2018). By eliminating fares altogether, transit operators sidestep the issue of discrimination.
The Mobility Revolution of Free Transport
Providing free public transport is not just about getting from point A to point B with zero fare; it's an invitation to start new journeys, fostering economic prosperity along the way. In Tallinn, the introduction of free public transit created a fascinating trend – people started extending their trips to explore other districts for shopping and leisure, defying the conventional habit of local shopping (Cats et al., 2017). Thus, local businesses in more rural areas could benefit from increased customer traffic, and the circulation of money within the local economy could boost the economy on a national scale. Another analysis reveals a surge in public transport and non-motorized off-peak trips. The lower cost of traveling by public transport encourages individuals to undertake a range of leisure activities, involving multiple trips, some of which are non-motorized. As an illustration, one scenario might involve taking the subway to visit a friend, then walking to a nearby location, or returning home via the subway (Bull et al., 2020).
Conclusion
It is an undeniable fact that establishing free public transportation on a national scale may require substantial planning and effort, but the evidence of its benefits speaks for itself. In the words of Jenny McArthur, an urban infrastructure researcher at University College London: “When you remove fares, that says to people that you’ve got a right to get around regardless of your means; it’s a public good”.
Article by Malika Tursunova
Edited by Lara Gigov (Editor-in-Chief)
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