<p>On 28th August, a few of us from Fare Free London joined our good friends, Fossil Free London, to demonstrate outside the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities offices against the government&#8217;s decision to permit expansion of London City Airport.</p>
<p>We need to invest in public transport, not climate-trashing roads and airports! Watch a short video of Fare Free London&#8217;s speech at the demo here:</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Fare Free London speech at DLUHC" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bhpyS6R05iI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>We have strategy and campaign meeting on 29 September to take this fight to the next level! Come along and hear excellent speakers on the global fight for free public transport. Sign up <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/events/winning-free-public-transport-campaign-meeting/">here:</a></p>
<p><a href="https://actionnetwork.org/events/winning-free-public-transport-campaign-meeting/">https://actionnetwork.org/events/winning-free-public-transport-campaign-meeting/</a></p>
<pre>Published: 31 August 2024.</pre>


Fare Free London goes to demo against London City Airport expansion

<p>French City Clermont-Ferrand could soon extend its weekend free public transport for all to weekdays too. <a href="https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/three-french-cities-offer-free-public-transport-and-soon-four/676847">The article</a> in Connexion newspaper says:</p>
<p>&#8216;S<em>ince December 4, 2021, all residents of the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area have been able to use public transport for free on weekends. </em><em>But now, mayor Olivier Bianchi, has said that he is “not opposed in principle” to the idea of making the city’s transport network free during the week too.&#8217;</em></p>
<p>The article quotes the Mayor of Nantes, stating that free travel on weekends is &#8220;<em>both a measure to improve the purchasing power of residents and users of public transport, and a concrete response to the challenges of the ecological transition</em>.”</p>
<p>All cities mentioned experienced an increase in passenger numbers, and in Niort &#8220;<em>many car drivers have switched to using the buses; 85% of new bus users had previously travelled by car in the city before 2017</em>.&#8221;</p>
<p>The article states that three cities in France already offer free public transport to all, but this is an underestimate: our friends who are campaigning in France say: &#8220;There are currently more than 43 cities with free public transport for all in France. 6 above 100000 inhabitants and 10 between 50000 and 100000 inhabitants.&#8221; These cities provide comparators for UK cities, who should also be providing free public transport. More information on which cities provide free public transport and a map is available on the website <a href="http://www.obs-transport-gratuit.fr/en/cities-of-free-transport-163/free-for-the-majority-of-users-5094/">Observatoire des Villes du Transport Gratuit</a> (Observatory of Cities with Free Transport).</p>
<p>At Fare Free London&#8217;s event on 29th September, we will discuss developments in France with Jerome Serodio, National Coordination of Collectives for Free Public Transport in France. All are welcome, from the interested to the already-active.  Sign up <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/events/winning-free-public-transport-campaign-meeting/">here:</a></p>
<p><a href="https://actionnetwork.org/events/winning-free-public-transport-campaign-meeting/">https://actionnetwork.org/events/winning-free-public-transport-campaign-meeting/</a></p>
<pre>Published: 8 September 2024.</pre>


Montpellier Tram by Mike Workman / Shutterstock.

More French cities offering free public transport

<p>The website <em>The Conversation</em> posted an article (25 August 2024) discussing how reduced fares affect public transport usage in Australia. You can read it <a href="https://theconversation.com/50-cents-0-cents-1-question-how-much-can-fare-cuts-boost-public-transport-use-236574">here</a>.</p>
<p>It is focused around Queensland&#8217;s 6-month trial of 50-cent fares. 50 cents is apparently a peppercorn rate to maintain the data collection from tapping on and off, which would be lost if they just kept the ticket barriers open.</p>
<p>The author asserts three ways the transport authorities use fares:</p>
<ol>
<li>To help cover the costs of the service &#8211; although in most Australian cities fares contribute about 30% of the revenue of the transport authority. (In London it&#8217;s about 75%.)</li>
<li>To regulate use at certain times of the day, e.g. off-peak fares being lower.</li>
<li>To discourage use of the trains and stations by people in need of shelter and for staying warm.</li>
</ol>
<p>It mentioned that cutting fares can lead to an increase in ridership, and that studies differ on how much that increase would be. The length of time the reduced fares were being offered for would also affect the level of ridership increase.</p>
<p>The article also mentioned that in Australia, Canberra&#8217;s transport authority is set to introduce free public transport from tomorrow (1 September 2024) until November, while they install the new hardware for tap-on tap-off fare collection.</p>
<pre>Published: 31 August 2024.</pre>


Text reading "Fare Free London" in blue letters

Australian cities reduce public transport fares to cheap or free

<p>Fare Free London launches its petition telling Sadiq Khan to implement free public transport in London.</p>
<h3>FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPENS THE CITY TO ALL</h3>
<p>There is a cost of living crisis and London is falling behind its own weak climate targets, and even further behind targets worked out by climate scientists.</p>
<div>It is not too late to secure a socially just system that benefits people as well as climate. We believe implementing free public transport supports a system that is based on public transport and active travel (walking, cycling and so on) which positively impacts Londoners’ physical and mental health. Free public transport, introduced together as part of an integrated transport policy can help rapidly to cut the number of private cars, vans and HGVs on the roads – and so cut greenhouse gas emissions, and the air pollution that kills thousands of Londoners each year.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The first step is to research ways to implement it. We are asking the Mayor of London to set up a research commission to investigate the opportunities and barriers relating to free public transport, and to pilot it in London.</div>
<div></div>
<div><strong><a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-sadiq-khan-to-implement-free-public-transport-in-london">Add your voice</a> and demand that the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority start the process of implementing free public transport of London.</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>The petition text is as follows:</div>
<div>
<p>&#8220;The transport sector has made the least progress in cutting fossil fuel use over the last twenty years. Free public transport could start to reverse this dangerous trend. Free public transport cuts across the dangerous populist rhetoric that tackling climate change costs ordinary people money. It shows that the opposite is true: measures to deal with climate change and air pollution can also make life better.</p>
<p>There are many ways that free public transport could be paid for, including higher taxes and levies on the wealthy and corporations. It should not result in job losses for transport staff.</p>
<p>We therefore call on the Mayor and the Greater London Authority (GLA) to set up a Commission which will:</p>
<ul>
<li>Outline opportunities that free public transport would provide to people in London;</li>
<li>Investigate the barriers currently preventing free public transport, and;</li>
<li>Design a pilot to test giving free public transport to people in London.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Sign the petition <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-sadiq-khan-to-implement-free-public-transport-in-london">here</a>:</p>
<p><a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-sadiq-khan-to-implement-free-public-transport-in-london">https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-sadiq-khan-to-implement-free-public-transport-in-london</a></p>
<pre>Published: 14 August 2024.</pre>


Fare Free London goes to demo against London City Airport expansion

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More French cities offering free public transport

Australian cities reduce public transport fares to cheap or free

Tell Sadiq Khan to implement free public transport in London