Three years ago Luxembourg became the first country in the world to offer free public transport. On March 1, 2020, a few days before the outbreak of the pandemic, the government of the small European country made trains, trams and buses free to end traffic congestion problems.
The measure, aimed at both residents and visitors to the Grand Duchy, was also designed to reduce polluting vehicle emissions and balance social inequalities. Only citizens who wish to travel in first class have to pay for a ticket.
The initiative carried out by the Executive of Luxembourg is unprecedented in Europe. It is true that in Spain, for example, travel by train and bus are subsidized by the Government and that some cities, such as Madrid, offer free bus service at certain times of the year. But these are specific initiatives without the same impact that it entails for users of public transport in Luxembourg where coverage is complete.
Despite its small dimensions -2,586 km2, that is, 0.5% of the surface of Spain (505,400 km2)-, Luxembourg has the highest car density in the European Union, with 696 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, more than the European average (560). In addition, every day around 230,000 people cross the border from France, Belgium and Germany, mainly to work in Luxembourg. 75% of these journeys are made by car.
This daily flow of vehicles is one of the reasons that pushed the authorities of the Grand Duchy to encourage the use of public transport. In addition to providing free access to all the train, tram and bus lines that operate in the country, the Government built large parking areas next to the entrance roads to Luxembourg so that workers from neighboring countries who travel by car they can leave their vehicles there and move by public transport to their workplace.
Three years after this pioneering initiative came into operation, it is time to take stock and ask whether Luxembourg has achieved its objectives. The fact that the plan was introduced during the pandemic may distort the results, but the first conclusions can still be drawn.
According to RTL Today, the number of passengers on trains reached a record figure of 25 million in 2019, a year before the Government decreed free public transport. When in 2020 it was no longer necessary to get a ticket to travel, the pandemic arrived. The number of train users fell in the midst of the health crisis to 14.5 million, but it has been recovering in the last two years: 16.6 million in 2021 and 22.1 million last year. In other words, a number of travelers that is lower than before the mobility restrictions came about due to Covid 19.
As far as trams are concerned, the free service has had a greater incidence among citizens and visitors to Luxembourg. The data provided by RTL Today is revealing. In December 2018, an average of 22,065 tickets were validated per week, while during the same month of 2022, 88,200 trips were registered in this means of transport.
However, the general perception is that road traffic has not been reduced. Cross-border workers continue to arrive by car in Luxembourg and long-haul drivers enter the country to fill up their vehicles attracted by the price of fuel. “Car culture is still very present. It is still difficult to attract drivers to public transport”, says mobility expert Merlin Gillard, from the Luxembourg Institute for Socioeconomic Research, in statements to France Presse.
To try to change the habits of workers coming from France, Deputy Prime Minister Françoise Bausch, responsible for mobility and public works, announced the construction of new car parks on the French side of the border. Likewise, it has promised that in the year 2028, at the latest, there will be a train between the French town of Thionville and the center of Luxembourg every 7 minutes.
Before establishing free public transport, income from ticket sales amounted to 41 million euros per year. An insignificant amount compared to the 800 million euros that this year will cost taxpayers -in 2020 the bill amounted to 500 million, due to inflation and the increase in the price of energy.
