{"id":391,"date":"2020-07-28T22:22:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T22:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enlightenment-demo.onedesigns.com\/blog\/?p=391"},"modified":"2020-10-08T09:27:45","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T09:27:45","slug":"first-country-in-the-world-luxembourg-makes-public-transport-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enlightenment-demo.onedesigns.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/28\/first-country-in-the-world-luxembourg-makes-public-transport-free\/","title":{"rendered":"First country in the world: Luxembourg makes public transport free"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands of commuters travel to Luxembourg every day. Their cars and trucks clog the roads and pollute the air. But in an effort to combat climate change, this is coming to an end. Starting March 1, 2020, Luxembourgers will be able to travel by bus, tram and train \u2013 completely free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luxembourgers will no longer have to buy tickets when using public transport in the country, and tourists will not pay a cent either. This makes Luxembourg the first country in the world where public transport is free. Just those passengers who want to travel first class will have to pay for their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole thing will cost 41 million euros. Furthermore, the state will invest more than 2 billion euros in rail expansion by 2023. The personnel behind the ticket counters and the ticket inspectors are to be deployed in passenger service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Luxembourgers stood in traffic jams for 33 hours a year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Luxembourg City, the capital of the country, has suffered from traffic jams and polluted air for years. 116,000 people live there, but housing prices are rising, and Luxembourgers are being driven out to surrounding cities. Every day, 400,000 people now commute to the city to work. While Luxembourg\u2019s population has grown by a third since 2000, commuters from abroad have more than doubled. And on their way, they are often stuck in traffic jams \u2013 according to a study, in 2016 they spent an average of 33 hours in traffic jams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making public transport free of charge is the first major project of Xavier Bettel\u2019s government. He and his liberal party were re-elected in October 2018, and are governing together with the Social Democrats and the Greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only electric buses in Luxembourg until 2030<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the summer of 2018, Luxembourg already made public transport free for children and adolescents under 20. Now the government is going one step further to ensure that everyone travels by bus instead of by car. For the citizens, the journey to work will be free: A huge improvement for the environment, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From 2030 onwards, only electric buses will be in use in Luxembourg.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Free public transport is only one of several points on Luxembourg\u2019s transport turnaround agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investment in public transport, park and ride & cycle path network<\/h2>\n\n\n\n