Buses on Vabaduz Square in Tallinn. photo: Liis Treimann
Partially or completely free public transport already introduced in 50 Polish cities, ten more already are engaged in liquidation of tickets. Some cities entered a free pass for all (Golenyuv, Kostsezhina, Lubin, Polkovitsa, Tomashuv-Mazovetsky, Elenya Gura), some – only for the unemployed (Rzeszow, Radom, Gdansk, Krasnik), some – only for separate routes (Zhora, Kielce, Legyonovo, Laziska-Gurne), some – for disabled people (Lublin), some – for youth till 22 years (Kolobrzeg), etc.
In Krakow, for example, according to the decision of city council, since new academic year pupils of elementary grades will go by buses and trams free of charge. In spite of the fact that annually it will cost to the city 2,7 million zloties (nearly 640 000 euros), deputies want that next year similar privileges captured also pupils of gymnasiums. Besides, drivers of cars in days when over the city there is a smog, can (with the certificate of the driver) free of charge to use public transport.
Experts consider that liquidation of tickets, on the one hand, is good idea because it popularizes cheap and more eco-friendly public transport, but it is favorable only to the small cities. In big is it can be economically not justified as after introduction of a free pass, the number of passengers can sharply grow that can result in need of increase in vehicle fleet. "The public transport has to be modern and attractive to convince inhabitants less to use the car. But, when transport becomes free, it will demand big monetary investments in infrastructure that it is very hard to finance", - the employee of a portal of transport-publiczny Yaqub Klimkevich notes.