Luxembourg offers free public transportation to reduce congestion

In an attempt to diminish car traffic, Luxembourg will offer a free public transit system, making history as the first country to invoke transportation as an accessible and civil right.

Other cities across the world have approved similar projects, but never has an entire country supported a measure such as this one, according to The Guardian.

Beginning on Saturday, public transport will be free for anyone traveling around Luxembourg. The new measure is estimated to save around 40 percent of households the equivalent of $110 per year. Premium first-class travel tickets will still be available on trains and certain night buses.

Traffic congestion is an ongoing problem for Luxembourg, as private cars are the most used method of transportation in the country. A 2018 study by TNS Ilres found the population uses cars 47 percent of the time for business and 71 percent for leisure travel, according to the report.

Commuters in the country use buses for 32 percent of trips to work and trains for 19 percent. In contrast, Paris workers use public transport 69 percent of the time, according to Insee, a French statistics institute.

A major tramway has been under development for years in the capital Luxembourg City, which is known by locals as one of the worst spots for traffic jams. The first tramway section opened at the end of 2017 but construction is ongoing to link the southern portion of the city to the north side near the airport.

“Systematic and continuous investment is a sine qua non-essential condition for promoting the attractiveness of public transport,” François Bausch, the country’s transport minister, said.