Germany has announced they are "considering public transport free of charge" in an effort to reduce the number of private cars on the road.
The announcement came from the environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, in a letter addressed to the EU Environment Commissioner, Karmenu Vella.
It may be a surprise given the prevalence of Germany's auto industry to their economy, but also given the political atmosphere currently in the country, with Angela Merkel merely acting in a caretaker role.
It does however, come a few days after Germany, along with other countries such as France and Italy, passed the January deadline for limitation on nitrogen dioxide and fine particles.
The head of the Association of German Cities, Helmut Dedy, has asked for clarity regarding how the scheme will be funded.
Cedrec's take
A very interesting idea from Germany!
A skeptical view of the proposal is that it is a large one designed purely to satisfy the EU's demands for action on pollution. The countries that exceeded the deadline have had an extension to submit proposed plans to rectify emissions of nitrogen dioxide and fine particles.
Furthermore, the idea is only being "considered" at this stage, at a time where Germany's Government is not in a strong position to bring such policies and schemes into practice. Perhaps once that is addressed, such a scheme can be acted upon.
Despite that, at the heart of the proposal, it is a very good idea should it be allowed sustainable funding. Germany is already well known for the efficient and low cost of public transport, so providing such a service for free makes it a very appealing alternative to driving. Whether this will deter people from using private cars enough to offset the very obvious investment needed to support the scheme, however, remains to be seen.
