People moving to or within Eindhoven will not be allowed to travel by public transport for free next year. At least if it is up to the Municipal Executive. According to the city council, GroenLinks’ plan is ‘sympathetic’, but it will cost millions and this was not taken into account when making the budget.
The idea behind councillor Bart Habraken’s plan is to encourage residents to take public transport more often. To achieve this, movers are allowed to travel by bus for free for three months, for instance. A sympathetic proposal according to the city council, but infeasible.
Every year, 11,000 people alone move to the city. Therefore, the cost is about five million euros a year. Even if transport company Hermes reduces the price, a hefty sum still remains, according to the city council. This was not taken into account when drawing up next year’s budget.
Doubts about effectiveness
Another reason why the city council does not support the pilot is doubts about its effectiveness. The city council doubts whether Eindhoven citizens will actually leave their cars if public transport is free. Moreover, some of them intend to use a mode of transport other than the car anyway.
Due to the high costs and doubts about its effectiveness, the municipal executive committee therefore rejects GroenLinks’ plan. However, the city council is considering a cheaper alternative. For instance, by increasing the number of bus tickets in the welcome package for new Eindhoven residents. The city council will soon consider GroenLinks’ initiative proposal.
Source :Studio040
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
