Should Public Transport in the City of Zurich Be Free?
Mobility is a basic need in urban areas. This initiative aims to make public transport in Zurich free of charge. This saves administrative costs and reduces irrational shifts to other means of transport.
Problem
- Individual traffic with gasoline, diesel, or electric cars is not sustainable for the environment and climate because the energy footprint per kilometer traveled is very high.
- Traffic jams burden cities, cause economic damage due to lost working time, and increase transportation costs.
- Exhaust gases and fine dust burden health, increase costs, and reduce work performance. Tire wear is a big problem.
- Streets and parking lots consume valuable space for housing and recreation.
- Too many cars reduce urban attractiveness due to traffic jams, high noise, and environmental pollution.
Solution
- Public transport is offered free of charge to provide all residents with easy access to mobility.
- Transport companies measure occupancy and adjust services accordingly to ensure reasonable travel times.
- The financing of free public transport is done through municipal taxes to distribute costs fairly.
- Financing is additionally provided through an increase in the tourist tax.
- Costs per kilometer are compared nationally and transport companies have clear efficiency targets.
Benefit
- Promoting public transportation reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. In cities, this lowers emissions and combats health problems such as asthma and respiratory diseases.
- Public transport can be offered more efficiently the more people use it. There are clearly positive economies of scale in the cost per kilometer traveled.
- Less traffic, shorter commuting times, less stress by switching to public transport.
- This makes Zurich even more attractive for tourists.
- For the ZVV (operator of public transport in Zurich), cost savings arise from the elimination of controllers, ticket machines, and apps.
Public support
Total votes: 110
Breakdown: FullyOnBoard: 38, SoundsGood: 20, NoChance: 19, Concerns: 15, NeedForDiscussion: 11, NothingAgainstIt: 7
Discussion
- Thomas Maurer (2026-07-31): Free local transport sounds good, but that’s not true. Public transport is already massively subsidised today because the prices do not cover the costs. When the cost pressure disappears, money is invested in nonsensical projects. Every state service needs a price tag.
- Thomas Link (2026-07-06): The idea is probably a get‑rich‑quick scheme if you only look at the balance against the eliminated administrative costs. A full‑cost accounting of automobiles in the city must be carried out. The impression of a freeloader (parasite) seems close – but what about the car drivers who, for the same car tax of the non‑urban, clog the streets? Maybe you don’t even have to look so far abroad to refine the concept: [Car‑free places | Switzerland Tourism](https://www.myswitzerland.com/de-ch/reiseziele/ferienorte-und-staedte/autofreie-orte/)
- ↳ Marco Preuss (2026-07-06): A good objection. In general, public transport is not attractive enough for people from the surrounding urban area. Let’s be honest: anyone who has ever been to Germany is glad about the conditions in Switzerland. Middle ground doesn’t always have to be a “lazy” compromise. Strengthening the offering, with better headways in the surrounding area, higher demand when PW ancillary costs make private transport unattractive for commuters and everyone pays for their ticket, then it can work.
- Marco Preuss (2026-07-06): Buy a ticket, you well‑off neglectful “freeloaders”; a service is being provided, it must be paid for, or else: the footbus always runs.
- Heinz Keller (2026-05-30): Most people pay with coins or card. Also Fairtque. There you get the cost of the machine out with nieces. In many Italian cities this has been the case for a long time.
- Raffael R (2026-03-05): Yes, but: Zurich is not Switzerland. And what is local transport, what does that mean? And what are others supposed to do who are not from Zurich or do not have to commute...?
- ↳ John Doe (2026-03-05): Everyone else just buys a ticket normally... No problem. ;-)
- ↳ Andres Villa Torres (2026-03-14): Local transport could be something like a short-distance fare. Or another idea might possibly have to do with the distance to each apartment. But that would be a very complex system. Other places like Tallinn, Estonia, where free public transport is a reality, solve this with free public transport for residents in a certain zone. The criticism in Estonia is often that the quality of public transport suffers extremely from the lack of financial resources. Population density is also very different between Switzerland and Estonia -> 590 (CH) vs. 83 (EE) people per square kilometer.