Tuesday, 30 August 2022

A Travel Experiment Worth Replicating?

Germany's 3 month experiment, selling 9 euro tickets entitling the holder to a month's unlimited travel on regional train networks; trams and buses, has been a great success. The scheme was largely devised to reduce motor congestion in German cities (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/30/germanys-9-train-tickets-scheme-saved-18m-tons-of-co2-emissions). In addition to reducing congestion, the 3 month experiment has reduced German carbon dioxide emissions by circa 1.8m tons. This is a considerable chunk of 'greenhouse gas' emissions. The scheme should be the shape of things to come. It's unlikely, however, to currently work in the UK. To get folk out of their cars, public transport, in addition to being cheap, has to reach all locations, as well as being clean, reliable and frequent. Strikes (although understandable) also wouldn't help such a transition.

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