Popular initiative for free public transport launched

https://www.bluewin.ch/en/news/popular-initiative-for-free-public-transport-launched-3139207.html

Posted by Sufficient-History71

33 Comments

  1. It seems like we would pay for it in taxes, or in fares, so why not just leave things the way they are? If cost is an issue for some they could offer some means based discount program or something.

  2. Internal_Leke on

    It sounds like a disguised tax increase.

    Public transport is already cheaper than car, I don’t think the price is the issue.

  3. Are things not already to the point where my ticket fare mostly covers keeping the public transportation system clean? With the reasonable expectation that they can’t keep a cleaner staffed on every train for every leg of its journey.

  4. Bobertolinio on

    So another tv tax situation.
    People that don’t use it will be at a disadvantage.

  5. No_Grape_388 on

    Switzerland is not socialist enough for this to pass, even though it will greatly help those that need it most.

  6. Radiant-Emergency926 on

    I wähl und stimm jo sust eher nümm so links, aber das findi glaub nid sone schlächti Idee.

    S wird eifach alles viel voller, aber es hed glaub viel positivi uswirkige.

    Grad au wenn lüüt wo sust nid so reise, mol in dr ganze schwiiz umechöme. S verbindet is irgendwie nomol meh mitenand.

    Aber halt nid irgendiwe mit ere stüür wo jede glich viel zahlt.. sött scho chli vo de riiche au gnoh werde..

  7. Cheap (free), high quality (clean,safe), fast (frequent, on time, dense): pick two !

  8. Stimme üblicherwiis eher links, dass ÖV gratis söll werde würd eifach meh stüüre bedüüte. Uf di ander siite gits ja inzwüsche enorm viel schwarzfahrer.

    Ich fänd gschiederi priisstrategie di besseri lösig. Einzelfahre sind eher sehr tüür, als familie / gruppe isch s’auto oftmals günstiger, döt chönd me asetze. Streckeabos find ich priislich agmesse und es GA für vielfahrer au. SBB probiert ja au immer wieder neues wie halbtax plus (irrefüerende name) oder dem My Ride, denke es wird in zuekunft eh chli besser.

    Me dörfti aber gern ortschafte i dä ostschwiiz usbaue, teilwiis sind verbindige im appenzell und thurgau sehr dürftig vorhande.

  9. white-tealeaf on

    Will be atleast 60% no and probably max 2 cantons yes. Would’ve been better to change it so cities are allowed to do it on there own if they wish. Right now, free public transport is prohibited on constitutional level.

    Sadly all swiss media has just pasted the same article that doesn’t say what actually would change and the website of the initiative also is only in french and not stating the text.

  10. Iuseahandyforreddit on

    Whilst i am absolutely for this, i give it a veeery slim chance of actually happening

  11. Cute_Employer9718 on

    As someone who is 100% in favour of public transport, I think this is a terrible idea. Free public transport in general is a bad idea. If you need to financially help people then subsidise those who need it.

    8bn CHF a year would be much better spent building better infrastructure which would drive even more people to ditch their cars. For comparison, the cost of a new much needed line from Geneva would cost 2bn.

    We’ve seen it now in Geneva, where the gratuity of public transport for youth and the elderly has increased ridership by a meagre 2% for a cost of around 60mio a year. With that money the canton could build a new tram line every 3 years and ridership would increase a lot more than that.

    And that’s in the best case scenario.

    In a very likely scenario the funding would need to be negotiated every year and an increased ridership would not be automatically compensated leading to increasing costs but stable revenue, which would eventually lead to less investments and worse maintenance while all users feel that service deteriotaes leading those who at present happily pay for transport to stay away and use private vehicles insteadm

  12. So we should subsidise overmobility and the associated urban sprawl and increased energy usage?

  13. Primary-Economist866 on

    If you make it free you’re relying only on taxation and federal/local funding for it to work, which makes it more vulnerable to political decisions, making improvements on the network harder to achieve

  14. Special_Tourist_486 on

    We simply need free/very cheap Kitas. And ideally, health insurance price based on income. The rest is pretty fine so far.

  15. Public transportation already needs a lot of government funding, we should focus on that instead and price it correctly.

  16. JollyQuiscalus on

    I voted in favor of the CHF 365 yearly ticket for Zurich, but I’m absolutely not going to vote in favor of this.

  17. swagpresident1337 on

    Lol. Yes so everybody‘s taxes have to rise and the no-earners are subsidized. Sure.

  18. Personally I am in favor of it, but I would have to look closer at the data.

    Costs for the ticketing platforms. Costs for the ticket controls (security is already required today, so that would remain). Costs for the adminsitration of rebates and reductions (like issuing tickets for seniors, handicapped, students etc). Tourists can pay a tourist fee…

    First Class or trains with reservations can still have a price of course. Personally I rather see my taxes go toward public transport than financing banks and fossil industries? Might be a bit too optimistisc tough

  19. Glad_Wrangler6623 on

    What will socialists do when the money in the pockets of others will run out? Take them at gun point?

  20. I would propose something else:

    1) Free transports for any students under 25.

    2) Free transports for people past 65 years old.

    Free transports outside of the above should be a city-specific choice and not something on the federal level.

    In addition it would mean everyone not needing transports would pay for the transports of other. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but a choice with drawbacks and advantages. I would also make everyone pay for the roads since everyone is benefitting from the road system.