People in Cascais, Portugal, no longer need to pay a bus fare to move around town. Circulation was cleared in January and requires, as of February, that the town’s residents, workers, and students make a card to have direct access to the benefit. It is expected that the free bus pass will also be extended to trains in the next few months. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions – which pollute the environment and contribute to global warming – and increase the use of public transport. This will improve traffic in the city which is often visited by tourists.

The cost of the program is 12 million euros (the equivalent to 55 million reais). According to the Municipal Chamber of Cascais, funding will come from fees charged in parking lots and other tolls paid by drivers, or from advertising (such as ads) in public spaces.

Free fare around the world

In Portugal, the town of Ourique has also been providing free bus service since 2013. In June of that same year, Tallinn, in Estonia, was one of the first towns to test the model which is also in place in parts of France, Poland, and the United States.

In Brazil, a few towns in the states of Ceará, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo also provide free bus service.

Questions

1) What is expected to change on a daily basis in Cascais with the new measure?

a) The measure will bring improvement, but only for tourists.

b) There will be an increase in the water consumption rate.

c) Nothing will change.

d) The environment will be less polluted and traffic will improve.

2) What do you think about public transportation such as buses or trains being free of charge?

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