Hasselt free travel

Belgium extends free commuting initiative to cut road congestion

Could we be seeing a whole country catch on to the idea of free public transport? Something on that scale could be happening in Belgium. It started with a pioneering decision by the Flemish city of Hasselt to provide 100% subsidies for bus travel within the city centre. That was seven years ago. Routes were extended and services made more frequent. Bus use rose 870% in three years. And now the federal government is weighing in with a drive on free train travel.

From 1 March, civil servants and employees of state-run companies - around 210,000 workers in total - can commute for free on the state-run train network. Critics complain that this means the bill is footed by Belgian taxpayers, most of whom still pay to get to work. But the government is hoping that the environmental benefits, and reductions in traffic congestion and road accidents, will win the doubters over. Especially if it can get private employers to offer the same perk. Belgian firms already meet 50% of the cost of train season tickets for their staff, and the government is encouraging all companies to extend this to give commuters free train travel between home and work. So far the statistics are pretty unequivocal about the increase in public transport use. It’s not yet clear whether the use of private cars has necessarily declined. But Bert Baeten of the environmental and transport coalition Komimo says that the quality of life has improved. Especially in city centres, where “the growing popularity of public transport and the growing public support for car reducing measures has made it easier for local politicians to implement car free areas, areas with reduced speed limits and free bus lanes”. - Alison Winward

3 June 2004

Alison Winward