Free Public Transport

The Bob Pritchard Column 

Starting July 1, Estonia, population 1.5 million, will allow all its citizens to travel from one end of the country to the other without ever buying a ticket.  A wonderful idea with great economic benefits.

 

The move to free public transportation builds on a  scheme already in place in the capital, Tallinn, where public transit on the city’s buses, trams, trolley buses and trains was made fare-free for city residents back in 2013. Now, the government is rolling out free bus travel across the country.

 

 

Free journeys will be available for all Estonians using county buses, and enhanced subsidies will make tickets on the state-owned rail network considerably cheaper. It is the largest national free public transportation scheme in the world. It’s aimed chiefly at giving people on low incomes greater mobility to find work, but it also has an environmental impact, cutting carbon emissions by reducing the number of cars on the road.

 

A study of the fareless scheme by the Netherlands Delft University of Technology during its first year identified a 14 percent increase in the use of public transit, a 10% decrease in car usage and evidence that free travel helped low-income and unemployed residents as they became more mobile.  A great result for just the first year.

 

The city’s own public satisfaction surveys show low-income groups are very happy with free bus travel as it enables them to look for and take jobs in a wider area than they would be able to access by walking.

 

The study found that while the rise in public transit usage mainly came from extra journeys by people already using the system and people who previously walked, a 10% reduction in year one is significant.  They have also taken several measures to reduce car usage along with free public transport ― special bus lanes, more bike racks to encourage cycling, and they have also raised on-street parking fees and reduced parking places.

 

The price of public transport is seldom the reason car users switch over to public transport, but making the car more expensive to use, that’s key to making an impact. But you also have to make public transport attractive. Having a good system requires a long-term commitment.

 

Funding a transit system that is not only free but also widespread and efficient enough to accommodate lots of people undoubtedly poses a challenge, but that’s not stopping other European countries from considering similar fare-free schemes. 

 

Paris has commissioned a study to look at the pros and cons of making public transit free and in Germany to tackle air pollution and avoid EU fines, Five major cities will try out free public transit schemes by the end of 2018.   A free-ride zone in downtown Seattle came to an end in 2012 after the city decided it could longer afford it. Hasselt in Belgium reintroduced fares in 2013 after 16 years of providing free bus travel.

 

Free public transport is beneficial for the whole of society, not only those who use public transportation.  It is an especially important idea in poor and more unequal societies, because without assistance for mobility, some people will be prevented from having access to resources ― to jobs, culture and leisure opportunities.

 

 

If we can provide $25 billion, that's 25 thousand million, in subsidies to the petroleum industry, surely we can throw a few scraps to provide free public transport