Notes from the field: fare-free on-demand public transport in Castile and León
In October 2022 our team went to Castile and León, one of Spain’s most rural and depopulated regions, to explore the local public transport system. What is so special about it? The local transport system, organised by the regional authorities, is both fare-free and on-demand.
LiFT publishes report on fare-free transit in the US
Across the United States, fare-free public transport unexpectedly gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 11 cases of full FFPT existed before 2020. As the pandemic unfolded, FFPT evolved from a relatively fringe policy to a “best practice” applied by transit agencies in response to COVID-19. More than 60% of urban public transit agencies suspended fare collection during the pandemic. This report traces this transformation.
LiFT interviewed by Euronews
Euronews has recently interviewed Wojciech Kębłowski from LiFT about the policy of providing fare-free access to transport. Speaking alongside François Bausch, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Mari Jüssi, an urban mobility expert from Tallinn, Wojciech defended fare-free public transport as a policy that tackled head-on both social and environmental inequalities in urban transport.
LiFT contributes to Deutsche Welle podcast
Wojciech Kębłowski from LiFT has recently contributed to the Deutsche Welle podcast Inside Europe about recent experiments in public transport provision across Europe. He talks about what makes public transport truly public, and why making it fare-free is a welcome innovation.
The gates of paradise are open
We’re delighted to share a new publication emerging from LiFT. Louise Sträuli and Wojciech Kębłowski wrote together an article published in Urban Studies titled ‘The gates of paradise are open’: Contesting and producing publicness in the Brussels metro through fare evasion.
What do we mean by fare-free public transport?
This blogpost is the first in the hopefully long series of many interesting reflections on fare-free public transport (FFPT). But what is FFPT, and what do we mean by it?