More than 60% of commuters use their cars to get to work, compared to just 19% who use public transport.
Yet cutting congestion and improving the environment are not the main drivers of the free public transport initiative, according to minister for mobility and public works François Bausch. "It is primarily a social measure," he says. "The objective is to stop the deepening gap between rich and poor. For people on low wages, transport expenses matter. Therefore it is easier to make it free for everyone."
But persuading car drivers to jump on board free trains and buses may be a difficult proposition, given many see the public transport system as clunky and inconvenient.
Fatima Braga cleans homes during the day and offices in the evening for the minimum wage. During breaks between jobs, she goes home to take care of her dog.
“Free transport would help me save a lot of money in car expenses,” she says. “However, as I travel back and forth from home to different places, I would spend at least 1.5 hours every day on the bus against 50 minutes by car.”
For those in a higher income bracket, switching seems even more unlikely. Anne Klein teaches German at a high school in Lamadeleine, 30km south of her home in Luxembourg City. In the morning, her commute takes 30 minutes as she drives away from rush-hour traffic.
If she returns to the school in the late afternoon, as rush-hour gets going, she doubles her travel time – yet she’s not tempted to change.
“It takes me one hour to go to work by train. And I need to change to another train, which brings me to school either too early or too late,” she explains. Plus, she has to carry heavy bags of books. “Even if it’s more expensive, car remains the most convenient transport alternative for me,” she says.
Constance Carr, a senior postdoctoral researcher at the University of Luxembourg, voices similar views, saying: “Free public transport is a complex issue and fees are not the problem.” She highlights high-priced housing as the key social issue, saying
rising costs are driving people out of the city to border areas. Making more land available for housing would be one potential solution, she says, but whether land owners would support that “is a big question”.
National transport unions are opposing the plan. “Making transport free might lead to an increase in vandalism,” said Mylène Bianchy, president of railway union Syprolux. “People appreciate it less and vandalism increases.” Unions also fear the scheme will lead to staff dismissals. But [minister for mobility and public works François] Bausch says nobody will be laid off. “Ticket inspectors and desk staff will remain on board and in the stations, and will be redirected to information and security tasks.”