Dessau, Germany, offers schoolchildren free public transport to reduce CO2

They will be able to use public transport regardless of whether they are going to school or, say, to the cinema with friends

Today, local authorities in the German town of Dessau-Rosslau launched a pilot project, making public transport free for children going to school, as well as teenagers in high school.

The project is intended to survey the financial feasibility of making the scheme permanent, as well as examine the effects it has on road congestion. The decision is also part of the city’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions by providing an attractive alternative to cars.

A faster city

The project will run from 1 November 2021 to 31 January 2022 and schoolchildren will be able to use public transport regardless of whether they are going to school or, say, to the cinema with friends. The project should cost the administration around 360,000 euros.

However, it has the potential to bring commuter benefits that are a little harder to quantify, like increased speed across the city, or a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is why the move to free public transport for children in school is part of the city’s bid to reduce CO2 emissions, specifically when it comes to traffic.

The city hopes that by providing the public option, parents will opt-out from driving their kids to school and relieve rush-hour pressure. At the same time, as part of the project, local authorities have increased transport capacity across the board.

They hope to use passenger data from the new demographic to adjust schedules and routes to make the new public transport option as efficient as possible. It is still unclear whether free public transport will be available after the period has run out.