A big, straightforward idea that shifts us to greener transport: Go anywhere in Austria for €3 a day
Photo by Simon Tartarotti on Unsplash
Green parties are active in coalition governments across Europe (see Scotland, Iceland and a voting on a prospective power-share in Germany), and influential across the continent. Yet coalition puts pressure on these parties: will their climate radicalism get diluted as they compromise and power-share? So it’s good to see the Austrian Greens, who are part of a coalition government there, achieve a major policy win.
For 3€ per day from November, you will be able to travel anywhere in the Austrian public transport system, for as far as you can, with a state-subsidised KlimaTicket. As the Financial Times reports:
[Austria’s Green ‘superminister’] Leonore Gewessle’s ministry — which covers transport, environment, energy and technology — has faced an uphill battle to bring Austria’s regionalised transport system and patchwork of private operators into a single unified scheme. It was only in recent weeks that an agreement was finally struck to bring all of Austria’s regions onboard.
“If this summer showed us something, it is that the climate crisis has already arrived with us,” said Gewessler, referring to the widespread flooding in central Europe. The scheme will cost the Austrian taxpayer an additional €150m to subsidise annually, the transport ministry estimates.
Free public transport is a big systemic answer to promoting climate-friendly behaviours across many cities, regions and small nations. As the New Scientist reports, “more than 100 provide free transport for residents, among them Dunkirk in France, Tallinn in Estonia and a sprinkling in the US, as well as the entire country of Luxembourg.”
Small shoots of this in the UK, too. The Scottish Greens are pushing free bus travel for those under 22 in the Holyrood Parliament