Tallinn in Estonia is the first European capital to offer residents free public transport. The move was aimed at cutting down on car pollution and traffic in the city. Instead of driving, residents are being encouraged to turn to trams and buses. Fares continue to be charged to non-residents including tourists and visitors to the city.
Tallinn is not a crowded or a big city, most journeys don’t take longer than 15 minutes, and transport feels like its part of the city’s furniture rather than something to be braved.
Drivers wait patiently as passengers cross their path to board a tram near Vabadus square in the centre of the city. It is nearing rush hour but everyone who needs a seat gets one. The trams and trains are clean and Tallinners have been enthusiastic about using them for free, with early polls delivering a 90% approval rating for the scheme.
Dr Cats, who is based at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, found that the number of people in Tallinn using public transport instead of cars was up by 8%, but at the same time the average length of a car journey had gone up by 31%, which he said meant there were more, not fewer, cars on the road in the time they tested.
He puts the increase down to a change in “shopping and leisure habits” rather than limitations of the scheme itself, and suggests that making driving more expensive, through parking fees and other taxes, could be more effective at cutting back on traffic.
Picture Credit : Google