A bus at a public transport stop in Berlin
The main supporters of this initiative are primarily environmentalists, who point not only to the possibility of a sharp reduction in harmful emissions and car noise, but also to a significant decrease in the number of traffic jams and accidents. As reported by "Russkaya Germaniya", this idea has recently taken concrete shape in Germany. Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, Transport Minister Christian Schmidt, and head of the Federal Chancellery Peter Altmaier sent a letter to the European Commission with corresponding proposals from Germany.
In response to Brussels' reproaches about increased air pollution in a number of German cities, the politicians announced Berlin's plans to gradually introduce free travel on buses, trams, and electric trains in five cities across the country. These are Bonn, Essen, Herrenberg, Reutlingen, and Mannheim. The administrations of these cities are expected to receive financial support from the federal budget, which will allow them to switch transport to free operation without serious problems for local treasuries. And it is precisely the issue of a sharp increase in the burden on municipal budgets that is currently the main argument of critics of the free transport model.
Thus, the head of the Association of German Cities and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, criticizing the government's plans, stated that "German municipalities and local transport companies cannot afford this in any case." Mr. Landsberg believes that the Federation is currently unable to fully cover the costs of free transport, meaning municipalities will have to dip into their own budgets. In his opinion, the idea of free travel can be implemented in Germany only in the "distant future," as it requires "much more personnel and vehicles" than the government thinks. Gerd Landsberg notes that the annual revenues of public transport companies in Germany currently amount to about 13 billion euros. And this money is needed to ensure that public transport in Germany "continues to improve its performance."
The head of the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association, Susanne Henkel, also takes a critical view of the Federation's plans. According to her data, revenues from ticket and pass sales in this region amounted to 1.41 billion euros last year. It is unlikely that the government will be ready to allocate such money every year, Ms. Henkel is sure. Furthermore, she reminds that a significant increase in the number of passengers usually leads to drivers finding it difficult to adhere to the current schedule and maintain public order.
The head of the German Union of Railway and Other Transport Workers, Alexander Kirchner, generally doubts that implementing the free public transport model will benefit the environment. "Making travel free and expecting the air to become cleaner immediately – that won't work," Kirchner notes. Moreover, in his opinion, today's transport problems, such as delays or cancellations of buses or electric trains with overcrowded carriages during peak hours, are unlikely to convince anyone to leave their car at home and take even a free ride on public transport.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Tübingen, a well-known Green politician Boris Palmer, decided not to wait for help from the government and independently began an experiment to switch to free transport in early February. The city administration of Tübingen decreed that now every Saturday, city buses will be free to ride. True, for now this is officially linked to the renovation of a large parking lot in the city center.
However, the mayor intends to go further: he proposed introducing a fee from all city residents of 15 euros per month (similar to the public broadcasting fee). In this way, Mr. Palmer is confident, it will be possible to fully cover the costs of the local transport association of 15 million euros per year, without resorting to financial support from Berlin.
Some countries with free public transport
• Denmark. On many small islands of this country, buses are free. In the third-largest city, Odense, free minibuses operate.
• United Kingdom. In Manchester, Bolton, and Stockport, free "metro-shuttles" run through the city center during the day.
• France. About twenty local municipalities offer free public transport. The largest of them is the municipality of Niort with 120,000 inhabitants.
• Switzerland. Passengers at Geneva Airport are offered a free transport ticket in zone 10, valid for 80 minutes.