Free public transport, often called fare-free public transit or zero-fare public transport, is public transport which is fully funded by means other than collecting fares from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local government through taxation, and/or by commercial sponsorship by businesses. Alternatively, the concept of "free-ness" may take other forms, such as no-fare access via a card which may or may not be paid for in its entirety by the user.

On 29 February 2020, Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make all public transport in the country (buses, trams, and trains) free to use.^[2][3][4][5] On 1 October 2022, Malta made its public transport free on most routes, though unlike in Luxembourg, this applies only to residents.^[6]

As some transit lines intended to operate with fares initially start service, the organisation may elect not to collect fares for an introductory period to create interest or to test operations.

Types

City-wide systems

Several mid-size European cities and many smaller towns around the world have converted their public transportation networks to zero-fare. The city of Hasselt in Belgium is a notable example: fares were abolished in 1997 and ridership was as much as "13 times higher" by 2006.^[7] Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia with more than 420,000 inhabitants, switched to free public transport in 2013 after a public vote.^[8]

In the U.S. state of Washington, 14 rural transit systems have adopted zero-fare policies, either permanently or through pilots in the 2020s.^[9] Fares for passengers aged 18 and younger have been free on most local and inter-city transit systems in the state since September 2022. The program was part of a larger statewide transportation package and also includes inter-city Amtrak trains operated by the state, as well as the Washington State Ferries system.^[10]

Local services

Local zero-fare shuttles or inner-city loops are far more common than citywide systems. They often use buses or trams. These may be set up by a city government to ease bottlenecks or fill short gaps in the transport network.

Zero-fare transport is often operated as part of the services offered within a public facility, such as a hospital or university campus shuttle or an airport inter-terminal shuttle.

Some zero-fare services may be built to avoid the need for large transport construction. Port cities where shipping would require very high bridges might provide zero-fare ferries instead. These are free at the point of use, just as the use of a bridge might have been. Machinery installed within a building or shopping centre can be seen as 'zero-fare transport': elevators, escalators and moving sidewalks are often provided by property owners and funded through the sales of goods and services. Community bicycle programs, providing free bicycles for short-term public use could be thought of as zero-fare transport.

A common example of zero-fare transport is student transport, where students travelling to or from school do not need to pay. The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point partly funds the Stevens Point Transit system. All students at the university can use any of the four citywide campus routes and the other four bus routes throughout the city free of charge. The university also funds two late night bus routes to serve the downtown free of charge with a goal of cutting down drunk driving. The University of Nottingham offers free Hopper Bus between its University Park and Jubilee, Sutton Bonington and Royal Derby Hospital campuses, where no other bus companies operate direct routes between. However, this service requires passengers to tap their university ID to board, meaning that members of the public cannot ride on these buses.

In some regions transport is free because the revenues are lower that expenses from fare collection is already partially paid by government or company or service (for example BMO railway road in Moscow, most part of is used to as service transport and officially pick up passengers).^{[clarification needed]}

Many large amusement parks will have trams servicing large parking lots or distant areas. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, runs a tram from its entrance, across the parking lot, and across the street to its hotel as well as the bus stop for Orange County and Los Angeles local transit buses. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, provides tram service throughout its parking lot.

In July 2017, Dubai announced it would offer free bus services for a short period of time on selected days.^[11]

Emergency relief

During natural disasters, pandemics, and other area-wide emergencies, some transit agencies offer zero-fare transport.

United States

Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit commuter rail temporarily offered free service for those needing transportation alternatives during the 2017 Tubbs Fire and 2019 Kincade Fire.^[12][13]

Some agencies, including the Central Ohio Transit Authority and King County Metro, offer free public transport during snow emergencies to reduce the number of vehicles on the street.^[14][15]

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several agencies paused the collection of fares to alleviate concerns that the virus could be transmitted on surfaces, to keep travelers from coming into close contact with employees, or to allow rear door boarding on their vehicles. These agencies are mostly located in smaller cities where the farebox recovery ratio is low as they could afford to implement this policy without a major hit to revenue.^[16]

Benefits

Operational benefits

Transport operators can benefit from faster boarding and shorter dwell times, allowing faster timetabling of services. Although some of these benefits can be achieved in other ways, such as off-vehicle ticket sales and modern types of electronic fare collection, zero-fare transport avoids equipment and personnel costs.

Passenger aggression may be reduced. In 2008 bus drivers of Société des Transports Automobiles (STA) in Essonne held strikes demanding zero-fare transport for this reason. They claim that 90% of the aggression is related to refusal to pay the fare.^[17]

Commercial benefits

Some zero-fare transport services are funded by private businesses, such as the merchants in a shopping mall, in the hope that doing so will increase sales or other revenue from increased foot traffic or ease of travel. Employers often operate free shuttles as a benefit to their employees, or as part of a congestion mitigation agreement with a local government.

Community benefits

Zero-fare transport can make the system more accessible and fair for low-income residents. Other benefits are the same as those attributed to public transport generally:

• Road traffic can benefit from decreased congestion and faster average road speeds, fewer traffic accidents, easier parking, savings from reduced wear and tear on roads
• Increased public access, especially for the poor and low waged, which can in turn benefit social integration, businesses and those looking for work
• Environmental and public health benefits including decreased air pollution and noise pollution from road traffic

Global benefits

Global benefits of zero-fare transport are also the same as those attributed to public transport generally. If use of personal cars is discouraged, zero-fare public transport could mitigate the problems of global warming and oil depletion. On average, cars emit one pound of CO2 per mile driven.^[18] Public transport helps to reduce the number of vehicles being driven which results in decreasing carbon emissions. Cars are also responsible for emitting other pollutants such as antifreeze. ^[19]

Drawbacks

Several large U.S. municipalities have attempted zero-fare systems, but many of these implementations have been judged unsuccessful by policy makers. A 2002 National Center for Transportation Research report suggests that, while transit ridership does tend to increase, there are also some disadvantages:^[20]

• An increase in vandalism, resulting in increased costs for security and vehicle-maintenance
• In large transit systems, significant revenue shortfalls unless additional funding was provided
• An increase in driver complaints and staff turnover, although farebox-related arguments were eliminated
• Slower service overall (not collecting fares has the effect of speeding boarding, but increased crowding tends to swamp out this effect unless additional vehicles are added)
• Declines in schedule adherence

This U.S. report suggests that, while ridership does increase overall, the goal of enticing drivers to take transit instead of driving is not necessarily met: because fare-free systems tend to attract a certain number of "problem riders", zero-fare systems may have the unintended effect of convincing some 'premium' riders to go back to driving their cars. It should be kept in mind that this was a study that only looked at U.S. cities, and the author's conclusions may be less applicable in other countries that have better social safety nets and less crime than the large U.S. cities studied.^[20]

Countries with area-wide zero-fare transport

• Luxembourg was the first country to offer free public transport (trams, trains, and buses) for everyone across the entire country. Since 29 February 2020, all public transport has been free in the country, with the exception of the first class on trains.^[21][22]

• Estonia wants to become entirely zero-fare. Counties in Estonia are allowed to make public transport free. As of May 2019, buses are free of charge in 11 of Estonia's 15 counties. Public transport in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, has been free to local residents since 2013.^[23][24] Free local transport in the counties will largely be abolished again from January 2024, but will remain available for people up to 19 years of age and those aged 63 and over.^[25]

• Malta became fare free for all residents on 1 October 2022.^[26]

• There are UK-wide provisions for free bus travel for senior citizens (60-years-old and over in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Greater London, state pension age for England).^[27][28][29] The Scottish government has also implemented free bus travel across the country for people under 22-years-old since 31 January 2022, while the Scottish National Blind Person Scheme allows free rail and ferry travel for blind persons.^[30][31] The senior citizens bus pass also apply to rail and rapid transit (the Tube) in Greater London, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• Romania has made public transportation including busses, subways and inter-country trains free for all pre-university students. However university students only have the option for a 50% discount on individual inter-country train tickets or inter-city subscriptions.^[32]
• In the Netherlands, students with Dutch citizenship get free public transportation country-wide in trains, trams, buses and metro. Students who are studying at universities of applied sciences and universities need to finish their degree ten years after starting it or they will need to pay back the amount of money.^[33][34]
• Throughout Spain from 1 September to 31 December 2022, all multi-trip ticket train journeys on commuter services and medium-distance routes (less than 300 kilometres (190 mi)) were made free of charge.^[35]
• The Hungarian national railway company MÁV transports aged 65 and over and 14 years and under free of charge since March 2024.^[36] Busses of the company Volánbusz can also be used free of charge from people aged 65 and over and 14 years and under.^[37]

List of towns and cities with area-wide zero-fare transport

Europe

Town/City	Population	Operator	First year	Duration	Notes
Cascais	206,479	Mobi Cascais	2020	Since 2020-01-02	Free public bus transportation for residents, students and workers registered in the Municipality of Cascais. Cascais was the first in Portugal to implement the measure and is the fourth-largest city of the country.
Cahors	20,447	Raynal Voyages	2019	Since 2019-11-02	[38]
Netherlands		Government	1991	Since 1991	Free public transport for students Studentenreisproduct or OV-studentenkaart in the whole Netherlands. Students can choose for free transport on weekdays and 40% discount in the weekends, or vice versa.
Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast	1,032,382	Municipality	2003	2003–2013	Free buses run every 30 min. (designated by the letter Н)[39]
Skolkovo, Moscow	N/A	ODAS Skolkovo + Mosgortrans	2012	Since opening	Local buses are free, include to railway station (from 2019, weekdays, delayed), longer routes are charged unless they ride via Auchan or Vegas
Miass, Chelyabinsk Oblast	151,387	Municipality	1991	Until 2002[40]	Free trolleybuses and buses
Gibraltar	29,500	State	2011	Since 2011-05	Only for residents and workers. Tourists have to pay.
Manises	30,478				[41]
Marbella	150,000	Municipality	2019	Since 2019	Only for enrolled citizens.[42]
Nova Gorica	31,000		2006	Since 2006-04
Samokov	27,000		2006	Since 2006
Stamboliyski	12,000	Municipality	2019	Since 2019
Stavanger	146,011	Municipality	2023	Since 2023
Hasselt	72,000	De Lijn	1997	Since 1997-07-01	1300% ridership increase 1996–2006. In 2013, Hasselt stopped free bus service for adults; riders under 19 still travel for free.
Duffel	17,385	De Lijn			Only valid for one ride
Ingelmunster	10,928	De Lijn	2017	Since 2017	Free public transport was offered when the construction of a new bridge made the connection between the two sides of the town impossible.
Mons	92,000	TEC Hainaut	1999	Since 1999-07-01
Avesta Municipality	21,000	Dalatrafik	2012[43]	Until 2021.	Ended due to increased operating costs.
Kiruna	18,090		2011	From 2011 to 2012–12	[44]
Övertorneå	2,000				70 km of free rides on local buses in this rural municipality [citation needed]
Bełchatów	56,973	Miejski Zakład Komunikacji Sp. z o.o.	2015	Since 2015-05-28	Unconditionally free for all users.
Żory	62,625		2014	Since 2014-05-01	Unconditionally free for all users.
Lubin	72,951		2014	Since 2014-09-01	Unconditionally free for all users.
Olkusz	36,122		2013	Between 2013-09-01 and 2014-12-31	For car owners registered in this municipality only.
Ostrołęka	52,337		2017	Since 2017-10-28	Unconditionally free for all users.
Lugoj	37,700		2013	Starting 2013-07-01	[45]
Cluj-Napoca	411,379		2021	Starting 2021-06-18	Free transportation on tram and bus lines every friday[46]
Ploiești	201,226	TCE S.A.	2014	Starting 31 March 2014	The benefits are limited to city residents with an income under 3,000 RON per month (about €670).[47]
Arad	145,078	CTP Arad S.A.	2023	Starting 7 July 2023	Free transportation on tram and bus lines every friday.[48]
Ilioupoli	78,153	Municipality			Free transportation to all, but only local buses, for specifically only local municipality buses.[49]
Akureyri, Iceland	18,803		2007	Since 2007-01-01	[50]
Tallinn	435,245		2013	Since 2013-01-01	Tallinn is currently the largest city offering free public transport for its residents. Regional buses are excluded from the scheme. Elron commuter trains are also free inside the city limits.[51] Tallinn is also the first capital with free public transport for its residents.
Keila	9,873		2013	Since 2013-02
Türi	6,174				[52]
Lübben	14,500			Has been stopped	Influenced by Hasselt
Kelheim	122,258	VLK	2021	Since November 2021	Free busses since November 2021 within Kelheim County
Templin	16,500			Has been stopped
Augsburg	295,135	SWA	2020	Since 2020-01-01	Free public transport within a zone downtown called "City-Zone"
Erlangen	116.562	ESTW	2024	Since 2024-01-01	Free use of all buses in the inner city for everybody
Monheim am Rhein and Langenfeld (Rheinland)	46,072 + 60,926				Free use of all buses and the lightrail lines S6 and S68 in the city areas of Monheim am Rhein, Langenfeld (Rheinland) and Düsseldorf-Hellerhof, for residents of Monheim am Rhein only
Senec	19,900	MAD Senec	2013	Since 2013-11-01	Since 1 April 2018 city transport has two bus lines. Temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic until 1 September.[53]
Aubagne	42,900 (100,000 in the area concerned)		2009	Since 2009-05-15	The Aubagne tramway is considered to be the first completely fare-free tram system in the world.[54]
Bar-le-Duc	15,700		2008	Since 2008-09-01
Boulogne-Billancourt	110,000		1992	Since 1992
Castres	62,500		2008	Since 2008–10
Châteauroux	47,127		2001	Since 2001
Colomiers	28,538		1971	Since 1971	The first area of France to offer zero-fare public transport which is still in operation at present
Compiègne	40,028		1990s	Since the 1990s	[55]
Dunkirk	91,000	Municipality	2015: free weekend service, fall 2018: full service[56][57]
Figeac	9,900		2003	Since 2003–2009
Issoudun	13,500		1989	since 1989	Has free in the name of the service (Transport Issoudun Gratuit). Works on certain days of the week in the afternoons only.
Libourne	23,000		2009	Since 2009-01-01 for under 18s Since 2010-08-28 for everyone
Manosque	22,200		2010	since 2010-01-01
Vitré	15,313		2001	Since spring 2001	First French urban agglomeration to do so.
Catania	315,000	Amt, Metropolitana di Catania, Università degli Studi di Catania	2018	Since 2018-04-10[58]	Free metro and bus lines to all local university students
Třeboň	8,700	ČSAD Jindřichův Hradec a. s.	2002	Between 2002–2002 and 2007–2008	Under Mayor Jiří Houdek (KDU-ČSL), city transport has only one bus line (No 340300), influenced by US school buses
Prague	1,285,000	Many operators (first of all Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy)	2002	Between 2002 and 2008-2015 (ca) and 2002-08-25, during the Vltava flood and flooding of the Prague metro system	Also always during time of the smog or other emergency (used rarely – 1996–1997 for 2 day, 1992–1993 for 4 days).[59][60]
Hořovice	6,800	Probo Trans Beroun s. r. o.	2008	Since 2008-03	City transport has only one bus line (no. 210009 alias C09 or C9)
Valašské Meziříčí	27,300	ČSAD Vsetín a. s.	2009	Between 2009-06-14 and 2009-07-14, again since 2017-09[61][62]	City transport has five bus lines
Přelouč	9,000	Veolia Transport Východní Čechy a. s.	2009	Between 2009-12-01 and 2010-03-06	Initial price at the newly established first city bus line (no. 665101)
Frýdek-Místek	58,200	ČSAD Frýdek-Místek a. s.	2011	Since 2011-03-27	Only 365-day chip coupon (however the chip card costs 299 Kč and prolongation 1 Kč) and user must to not be a debtor toward the city. Number of passengers has increased from 3.8 million in 2010 to 5.7 million in 2013. Since 2014, it is possible to travel free on regional bus lines to next 18 villages and towns. Population in the serviced area is 100,000. Chip card for free public transport has 25,000 passengers.
Strakonice	22,900	ČSAD STTRANS a. s.	2018	Since 2018-01-01	In 2017, the city bus transport was free for senior citizens, children and students up to 26 years; since 2018, buses are free for all, but only in the city zone (sections outside the city are still paid).[63][64]
Lovosice	8,700	BusLine a. s., renamed to TD BUS a.s.	2018	Since 2018-01-28[65]	The only bus line no. 558001 started 10 years ago, 2008-01-28
Litoměřice	24,000	BusLine a. s., renamed to TD BUS a.s.	2018	Since 2018-05-01[66]	Two bus lines
Říčany	12,400	ČSAD Benešov a. s. (ICOM group)	2018	Since 2018-09-03[67]	3 intervallic lines (yellow, red and blue) and 3 school lines (Š1, Š2, Š3), licence numbers 289001–289006, in working days only. Previous lines of Prague Integrated Transport remain paid.
Kolín	33,289	Okresní autobusová doprava Kolín, s.r.o.	2023	Since 2023-01-01[68]
Tórshavn	20,000	Tórshavn City Council			Six different bus lines[69]
Jagodina	76,712	Jagodina City Council	2019	Since Opening	Free public transport is not only available in Jagodina also in 52 villages and settlements around Jagodina that are connected with the city.[70]
Kryvyi Rih	603,904	Municipality	2022		Including trams, metrotram, and trolleybus[71]
Kharkiv	1,421,125	Municipality	2022		Including trams, metro, and trolleybus[72]

Asia

Town/City	Population	Operator	Begin operation	Duration	Notes
Cheremushki, Khakassia, Russia	9,000	trams are serviced by Dam's staff			zero fare is official to anybody (de jure service line because the taxes would be higher than revenues)
Jakarta, Indonesia	10,770,487	TransJakarta	2016; 8 years ago (2016)		Nine free bus routes including city tour buses
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1,790,000	SKS Bus	31 August 2012; 11 years ago (2012-08-31)		Go KL City Bus
New Delhi, India	20,000,000 (concerned for 9,000,000 women)	State Government	2019		free metro and bus services for women
Tel Aviv District, Israel	1,350,000	Na'im Busofash	November 22, 2019		Free weekend public transportation array that exists in 6 authorities in Gush Dan – Givatayim, Kiryat Ono, Ramat HaSharon, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Yehud-Monosson and Shoham.
Tiberias, Israel	41,300	Tiberias city council	2019		one bus line that goes on Saturdays
Hwaseong, Korea	934,441	Hwaseong city	2020		Fare-free bus service for the children, youth, and elderly
Bangkok, Thailand	8,249,000	several			In some bus lines in older unair-conditioned bus (far prices are also about age/equipment of bus). Also time and again for new public metro tracks for several months.
Ovacık, Turkey	6,998	Ovacık municipality	2014		All municipality-operated buses are free[73]
Tunceli, Turkey	38,429	Tunceli municipality	2019		Free in three neighbourhoods that doesn't have privately operated public bus[73]
Tamil Nadu, India	72,147,030 (concerned for 36,009,055 women)	State Government	2021		free metro and bus services for women[74]

Americas

Brazil

Canada

United States

Perception and analysis

Fare-free transit has been repeatedly demonstrated to increase ridership—especially during non-peak travel periods—and customer satisfaction.^[106] Several analyses^{[107][108][109]} have shown ridership increased by as much as 15% overall and about 45% during the off-peak periods. The effects on public transport operators included schedule adherence problems because of the increased ridership and more complaints about rowdiness from younger passengers, though obviously there were no more direct conflicts with passengers regarding fare collection.^[107] When the University of California, Los Angeles covered fares for the university community, ridership increased by 56% in the first year and solo driving fell by 20%^[109] (though one older study showed no measurable impact on automobile use).^[108]

In the United States, mass transit systems that collect fares are only expected to generate about 10% of the annual revenue themselves, with the remainder covered by either public or private investment and advertisements.^[99] Therefore, politicians and social-justice advocacy groups, such as the Swedish network Planka.nu, see zero-fare public transport as a low-cost, high-impact approach to reducing economic inequality.^[110] It has also been argued that transportation to and from work is essential to the employer in the managing of work hours, so financing of public transportation should fall to employers rather than private individuals or public funds.^[111]