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This is one that brings back more than a few memories of the bitter-sweet variety. In Germany, they are experimenting with a EUR 9 ($9.21 USD) monthly public transit ticket which allows one to use trams, trains etc. in the hopes of reducing auto usage and congestion. It seems to be working, too, as 23 of 26 cities surveyed report reduced congestion and increased ridership.<\/p>\n
While it is still early to draw conclusions, data compiled by the navigation company TomTom for Reuters suggest the policy may be having an effect.<\/p>\n
During the week of June 20, rush-hour traffic congestion was down in 23 of 26 cities compared with the week of May 16, before the new ticket was introduced, the data show. TomTom chose the two weeks because they were both free of holidays.<\/p>\n
Other factors may also play a role in the reduction, such as high fuel prices and pandemic-related work from home trends.<\/p>\n
But TomTom data for the full month of June also show lower congestion compared with both May this year and June 2019, before the pandemic: congestion was down in 24 of 26 cities in June from May, and in 21 of 26 cities versus June 2019.<\/p>\n
The findings could interest policymakers weighing possible future measures for low-cost public transport beyond August.<\/p>\n
The cheap ticket has also spurred train usage, which was up 42% in June from the same month in 2019, according to Germany\u2019s statistics office<\/p>\n
The rise has been most marked at weekends, leading to complaints from some passengers about overcrowding.<\/p>\n
In 2020, Luxembourg became the first country to make public transport free. Officials there have reported increased tram usage, and TomTom data show congestion down in recent months from pre-pandemic levels.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n