Lisbon to offer free public transport to children, students and elderly residents

Lisbon is to offer free public transport to children, students and elderly residents in a move that its Mayor, Carlos Moedas, said was crucial for the Portuguese capital's fight against climate change. As Lisbon was successful in its application to be one of the EU's 100 Climate Neutral Cities, such measures will be increasingly important for the city.

The Portuguese capital has recently embarked on a range of mobility strategies that aim to support more sustainable transport options and increase accessibility, including MOVE Lisboa, its Mobility Strategy Vision 2030, and a pedestrian access plan, as well as a renewed focus on tackling safety and security for women travelling across the city.

Lisbon follows in the footsteps of several European cities. Estonia's capital Tallinn and Luxembourg City both offer free public transport for all residents, while some other cities, including London and Paris, offer free travel for some children and elderly residents.

In Lisbon, all residents under the age of 18, students up to the age of 23 and seniors over 65 will be eligible for free transport on the metro, public buses, most rail lines and the yellow trams that criss-cross the city. The measure will cost the city, which has a population of over half a million people, around 15 million euros ($16.3 million) a year and should come into effect by the summer of 2022.

Original article published by Reuters on 21 April 2022.