Cindi Cook
02 March 2020•Update: 03 March 2020
PARIS
Luxembourg announced that public transport is now free throughout the country, making it the first country in the world to offer complimentary transport for all busses, metros, trains, and trams for both residents and visitors.
"The introduction of free public transport is an important social measure," says Francois Bausch, Luxembourg's mobility minister.
The motivation of the policy is to take more cars off the road. Luxembourg's population spends 30% of their time on the road, according to official EU estimates.
The majority of business trips -- 47% -- are made by car. Roughly 66% of people in the country own their own cars.
The only exception are international and first-class train tickets, whose fees will remain in place. Trains account for only 19% of daily transport use and busses only 32%.
Given the numbers, Luxembourg is one of the most congested locales in Europe and in the world.
The city is in the midst of building a 300-km (186.4-mile) long bicycle track in an effort to get people on two wheels instead of four.
The petite country of just under 614,00 inhabitants sits in the center of Europe, bordered by France, Belgium, and Germany, with the capital Luxembourg City, one of four official capitals of the EU.
Luxembourg City is the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU, and also the seat of several EU institutions and agencies.
Given its unique combination of governmental, territorial, financial, and international roles, affording a car is easy for Luxembourg's populace.
According to IMF figures, the country benefits from being one of the world's wealthiest, with the highest GDP per capita standing at €102,000 ($113,321).
