Earlier this year, I left my friend’s house and stepped straight into a bus that was not only spotless and turned up on time.
It was – almost unbelievably – totally free.
Ten minutes later, we were off again, hopping onto a tram – again, totally free. No ticket barrier, no contactless tap or ticket inspector in sight.
I was, of course, not in Scotland. But the tiny European country of Luxembourg where, since February 2020, all public transport has been fully free.
Not only buses and trams but also domestic trains. Even the public bikes are free for the first 30 minutes.
Oh and not just for residents and citizens – everyone.
How is this all possible? Well, Luxembourg does of course benefit from a number of very specific conditions.
It’s very wealthy – with a staggering GDP per capita of over £115,000. Many of the world’s largest companies also have their European headquarters in Luxembourg due to its low tax regime. The taxes may be low, but they still exist. And so, the country’s government benefits from a fair whack of corporate and income tax revenue.
The context before Luxembourg brought in free transport is also key.
Before fares were eliminated in 2020, ticket sales only generated about €41 million annually – accounting for less than 10% of the network’s running costs.
In other words, the Luxembourgish government was already heavily subsidising it.
Given that roughly 200,000 workers also commute into Luxembourg daily from France, Germany, and Belgium – free transit was also a big incentive to manage traffic, for example, especially at rush hour.
As someone who grew up there, I know all too well how bad it could be at times.
And then there is how small Luxembourg is – the entire country isn’t much bigger than some major global metropolitan areas.
How realistic is this for Scotland?
Well, Scotland does already have concessions for many – including under 22s and over 60s.
Unlimited free travel was also recently provided to 1000 people in Glasgow. It was a pilot project mind you, launching in February for 7 weeks.
Those taking part in the pilot included people who regularly rely on private cars and residents who face barriers to travel, such as patients who struggle to afford the cost of getting to hospital appointments.
Councillors approved the use of £225,000 for the scheme, which aimed to assess the impact of fare-free public transport on travel behaviour.
The results and findings of that pilot project are yet to be released.
But could we foresee a Luxembourg-style move? Unlikely given the huge difference between the two countries, but Luxembourg's model isn’t the only one when it comes to free transport.
Tallinn became the first European capital to introduce free transit in 2013.
However, it is only for registered residents – who can avail themselves of a card that you can use to swipe on.
Tourists and non-residents still have to purchase a ticket the old fashioned way.
Has it been a success? Well, funnily, tens of thousands of people across Estonia ended up registering their home addresses in Tallinn as a result – which meant the city covered the loss of fare revenue with the increase in income tax.
Estonia is also the country with the second highest public transport usage in Europe according to Eurostat data from 2024 – only ahead of Luxembourg. So, usage is certainly high.
The city of Dunkirk in France also made its entire bus network 100% free for everyone in 2018.
This is made possible in a very specific way mind you, using a unique French tax called the versement mobilité – which is a local payroll levy paid by companies with more than 11 employees.
In Dunkirk, this already funded 90% of the transit system's costs before 2018 – with the final tranche then funded by the city.
Could we see any of these measures enacted in Scotland? Let’s wait and see what the Glasgow free transport pilot finds first.
But it would certainly require no small amount of reform as well as a radical and ambitious undertaking from local and national government alike.
